The Japanese Railway Series
by Ketchum Kid
Summary: It is often said that the Island of Sodor is a strange and peculiar land, and, to a certain extent, that is true. However, after an accidental trip to Japan, Thomas is convinced that he had found someplace stranger...Starts as a crossover with Shuffle!, will eventually branch into other anime and manga series.
1. Thomas and the City of Tokyo

_My third story hasn't graced the pages of Fanfiction since the original was taken down, as I was dissatisfied with the quality. In fact, aside from a few PMs and my avatar at the time, there's no mention of it. This Idea has simmered in the backlot, waiting for the chance to poke its head into the sunlight. Until now._

_In a full top-to-bottom redux, **The ****Japanese ****Railway ****Series** is back for good. Changes have been done to this work, which was inspired partially by **ThomasZoey****3000**'s own series, **Railway ****Series ****Shuffle!** For one, the title (It was originally the **Tokyo Railway Series – Shuffle!**). Second, I'm staying with this story for good. Originally, this multi-crossover would have several subtitles, based on the crossover with Thomas. Now, I'm placing everything in this story. It may be a **Shuffle!** Crossover now, but once the next series is introduced, it will be reclassified under Anime/Manga Xovers. Other changes involve the addition and subtraction of certain characters, a name change for the railway, and many others, but I'll save those for later._

_All of The Railway Series is canon here. Any television character seen in my other story, **Railway ****Series ****Annex**, is also canon. So if you see Molly, Emily, or Spencer in one, you'll eventually see them in the other, and vice versa. _

_Disclaimers are found on the main page. I don't have anything else to say, so please enjoy!_

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><p><em><strong>The Japanese Railway Series<strong>_

**Book One: Thomas and the City of Tokyo**

**Dear Friends,**

**I was very surprised on my last visit to the Island of Sodor, where our friend Thomas the Tank Engine lives. I found out thae was stuck in, of all places, Japan, because of a shipping mistake while on the move. When Thomas got back, I expected him to be cross, since he was away from his branchline for so long, but I'm happy to say that I was wrong. He told me all about his adventures in the capital city, Tokyo, which mainly involved a small girl, and the people that surrounded her. Here's the first part of those tales.**

**The Author**

_**Stories Included:**_

**Thomas's Tokyo Escapades**

**Thomas and Primula**

**The Prince of Three Worlds**

**Homecoming**

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><p><strong>Thomas's Tokyo Escapades<strong>

One bright, spring day, Thomas the Tank Engine was happily chuffing along his branchline with his faithful coaches, Annie and Clarabell. The sun was shining, there was not a cloud in the sky, and Thomas's train was right on time to meet Emily at the junction. As he pulled into the station, he could see Percy waiting for him to clear the line. He was hauling a train of workmen and track materials.

"Good morning, Emily!" Thomas greeted. "How are you doing today?" Percy departed for Ffarquhar station.

"Good morning, Thomas!" Emily said. "What was Percy hauling today? It looked like a work gang for track repairs to me."

"You're not far off," Thomas answered. "It's a construction crew. Today's the first day of construction of the extension to Ulfstead and Peel Godred. We're all busy hauling materials to get the line ready for completion."

"And construction will be done on schedule and at the highest standards possible," a voice declared. It was, of course, Sir Topham Hatt, who stepped out of Emily's first coach. "The people of Tidmouth and Knapford are all seeking jobs in the Peel Godred area, yet they must transfer trains at Kildane in order to do so. Once the line's completed, we can provide them with a direct connection between the two." Emily's signal dropped.

"I wish I could stay and listen about the project more," she admitted, "but I must keep to schedule. I know that you want me to be really useful, Sir."

"Quite right!" Sir Topham Hatt said.

"Goodbye, Emily!" Thomas called out. He then turned his attention to Sir Topham Hatt. "Is there a reason for your visit to the branchline today, Sir?" Sir Topham Hatt laughed.

"Does there need to be a reason to see one of my really useful engines?" he chuckled. "But yes, I do have something to tell you. There is a gathering of steam engines in Vancouver in a few days, and the managers of the event asked me if you could come." Thomas was surprised.

"Vancouver?-!" he gasped. "But that's in Canada! Sir, I just came back from a gala on the Great Central last week, and have been looking for some time doing regular work on my branchline!"

"I'm sorry, Thomas, but I already signed you up for the trip. You must be at the Barrow- Airport by tomorrow morning." As he left, Sir Topham Hatt gave Thomas a smirk. "Besides, weren't you once asking to see the world?"

"That was in 1946!" Thomas puffed crossly, and he clamored off to the big station at the end of the line. That night, Thomas complained extensively to the other engines in the shed.

"Honestly, I'm off this branchline far too often for it to even deserve my name! Why should I have to travel to other railways and pull excursions for the children? It would be much easier if they would come here!" Percy, Rosie, and Toby were indignant.

"You know very well that not every person can make the trip to Knapford Junction," Percy stated. "That's why we went to London, and you went to York!"

"You also don't hear groups of children call out to see engines such as myself or Daisy," Rosie noted sadly. "Anyone would give a wheel or a funnel for your fame."

"You can have it, then!" Thomas snapped.

"Think about what you're saying, Thomas," Toby asked, trying to settle Thomas down. "At least Vancouver's in Canada, an English-speaking country. Remember when the two of us went to Berlin, in the heart of Germany?"

"How couldn't I?" Thomas groaned. "I had to carry you on a flatbed, Toby! And then we were both carried back to England because my cylinder cracked while we were there!"

"All I'm saying is that you can at least converse with the engines there," Toby remarked. "Imagine if you were dropped off in a different country, say, Japan? I heard that they have a very complex language there."

"That's impossible," Thomas retorted. "Driver says that the standard-gauge lines there are for high-speed trains that go even faster than Pip and Emma. The only trains that I can keep up with are all narrow-gauge trains. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get up early for this stupid trip!" With one last yawn, Thomas went to sleep, leaving the other engines with mixed emotions.

The next day, Thomas got up much earlier than the other engines. His flight left not long after Gordon's express departed from Tidmouth, so he couldn't even take his morning connecting train from the branchline. It was a strange feeling for Thomas as he ran light down the mainline towards the junction. The sun had yet to rise fully, the morning dew was still on the ground, and all across the island, it was quiet, save for Thomas.

Barrow-Vickarstown Airport was located North of Vickarstown, and was connected to the railway by a branchline constructed in the 1970s. It wasn't a major airport such Heathrow in London, but there were several flights to and from other countries. A small transfer yard was there to exchange goods between the airplanes, lorries, and the railway. Sir Topham Hatt was waiting for Thomas at the yard to see him off. Duck was there as well.

"Thomas, I wish you a safe journey to Canada for your stay," Sir Topham Hatt said. "Duck will take care of Annie and Clarabell while you are away, so please concentrate on being a credit to our railway."

"I'll do my best, sir," Thomas replied. But deep inside, while he was happy that Duck would be doing his work, he still did not want to leave the Island of Sodor. Workmen doused Thomas's fire, drained his water tanks, and secured his coal bunker for travel. Then Duck shunted Thomas up a ramp into a shipping container for travel. The container was cold and dark, and when the container was shut, it was impossible to see anything but a few specs of light.

A lorry brought Thomas's container to a storage hangar for loading onto the correct plane. When they unloaded the container, it was placed right next to an identical container that was next to the loading runway. As a plane was coming into the hangar, a worker was attaching labels to the two containers. The wind generated from the plane's engine was giving the worker a hard time. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew both labels off their respective containers.

"Whoa there!" the man yelped. He scurried over to the labels before they could fly any further.

"Hurry up!" another man called over. "We need all the containers needed for that plane ready now!" The worker hastily attached the labels to the containers. However, he was not paying attention to hi work, and quickly forgot which labels he placed placed on which containers.

Thomas's container was loaded into the cargo plane, which was soon flying high above the skies towards his destination. In a matter of hours, the plane touched down at the end of its long but speedy journey. Thomas's crate was immediately transferred onto a lorry, and brought to what sounded to Thomas like a rail yard.

"Well, better make a good impression," Thomas muttered reluctantly. "I am representing Sir Topham Hatt and the North Western Railway, after all." He put on a false smile as workmen opened the crate.

Thomas had been to Vancouver once before, about three years ago. He remembers it as a smaller city, with a few small skyscrapers here and there, but mostly beautiful blue oceans, tall burly pines, and majestic rugged mountains. The first things that Thomas saw in the early morning light were tall buildings as far as the eye could see, smaller buildings jammed together, and a cramped, rugged yard, where a small black engine pulled Thomas out of the container using spacer cars, and a man wearing a nicely pressed suit watching nearby. Definitely not Vancouver.

"That's strange," the man murmured aloud, as Thomas was pulled out. "I thought my new switching engine had a tender…" Thomas was horrified.

"Switching engine?-!" he spluttered. "I'm Thomas the Tank Engine! The pride of the North Western Railway!" The man looked at Thomas.

"Never seen you here before," he said. The other engine, a black 4-6-2 Pacific with smoke deflectors, snorted.

"Great, just great!" she spoke in a feminine voice. "Another engine that claims to be famous and mighty! Listen, pal! That attitude doesn't fly here in Tokyo, Japan!"

"Tokyo?-!" Thomas gasped. He immediately checked the gauge of the rails to make sure that he was on standard gauge tracks, which he was.

"Settle down, Aiko!" the man ordered. "Clearly there was some miscommunication, and our actual engine was sent to wherever this engine was needed." He turned to Thomas. "I must apologize, Thomas, but it appears that the engine that was supposed to come here went to your destination. I'll have to speak to your owner, who is…?"

"Sir Topham Hatt," Thomas replied, "the head of the North Western Railway. If I may ask, sir, I always thought that the railroads of Japan were all at a narrower gauge than those of England and America."

"That's partially true, Thomas," the man replied. "Most railways here are of a smaller gauge than what you are used to. However, there are a handful of lines around the country that work on your "standard" gauge. My railway, the Kanto Railway, is the only one that operates freight service. We have a few of our lines, like this one here, to ourselves; but for the most part, we run on the rails of commuter lines. We're still a bit new, as we only have one other engine in Aiko, but we're attracting a lot of business. While I try to obtain the actual engine I ordered, Thomas, you must work in its stead for the time being." For once, Thomas smiled.

"That's fine by me," he said. "I've been doing a lot of excursion work lately, so hauling trucks will be a nice change of pace, sir."

"That's a good engine," the man beamed. "My name is Mr. Soroi, head of the Kanto Railway. On behalf of its employees, I welcome you to Tokyo!"

"Pah!" Aiko scoffed. "I can do the work just fine by myself, thank you! I don't need him to help me!"

"Can you pull the transfer train to the transfer yards and a heavy coal train to Chuo when they're both needed right away?" Mr. Soroi asked. "I need you on the much heavier run to Chuo at the moment, Aiko. Thomas, you must take the transfer freight to the yards at Saiwai. You'll have to use some of the commuter lines to travel there, since the main route there is under some heavy repairs."

"Will do!" Thomas replied. Aiko pulled Thomas to the coal tower, where he was filled with coal and water. Since Thomas's crew was on a different flight, a new crew was provided for him. The driver, a young woman with green hair that was tied up into two pigtails, approached Thomas.

"_Ohayou!__" _she greeted. "My name's Sakoto, and I'll be your driver during your stay" Thomas was surprised that she was able to speak both Japanese and English.

"I didn't think many people in Japan knew English," he told her.

"Most don't, at least fluently," she replied. "Many can speak a few words here and there, but not the majority of the language. That's why Mr. Soroi assigned me to you, Thomas. Consider me your official guide and translator during you stay in Tokyo!" With that, she rushed into Thomas's cab, and the two set off for work.

Thomas puffed into the yards, where an eclectic mix of trucks greeted him. "Excuse me, but do any of you trucks speak English?" A chorus of murmurs in different languages came from the trucks.

"Yes, some of us do," one truck finally spoke. "And please call us freight cars. We all come from all the corners of the world, and most of us are used to being called cars."

"Alright," Thomas replied. "Are you anything like the troublesome trucks back in England?"

"_Non-non-non!_"a French car replied. "Oui are notshing like those desgusting British counterparts! Wen oui cause an asccident, thee rest of thee railway shuts down! Aiko was our only engine until now, and thee others aren't ready yet!" Thomas was puzzled.

"Other engines?" he asked curiously.

"_Si__senor!_" a Mexican car answered. "Miester Soroi has other engines, but dey have not been steamed up for a long time. Dey need an overhaul before they are completed, and the shops can only do so much work in so leittle time."

"I see," Thomas replied. "So, where are the cars that are needed for the transfer goods to Saiwai?"

"Over on track four," a Russian car pointed out. "We all have chains, so don't worry about couplings."

"Thanks!" Thomas said, and he collected his train. He gently backed down on the train, and was coupled up to the train. Then, he set off for the transfer yard.

Tokyo was much bigger than anything that Thomas had seen. Buildings were jammed into every possible corner, roads were clogged with cars and lorries, and sidewalks were crowded onto wide sidewalks. Even the electric commuter trains that flew by on the mainline portion of Thomas's journey were filled to capacity. Thomas had never seen so many people in one location.

Thomas reached the junction to the transfer yard. He had to back into the yard, because the switch was facing the opposite direction. He left his cars on an unloading siding, and picked up a cut of new cars on another track. Then, he set off back to the main yard.

"So far, so good," he said, as the points were switched onto the mainline. "No incidents so far and we're running right on time." But Thomas was wrong. Not far from the start of the connecting line to the yard was an area of homes that was tightly packed together. There was only enough room to squeeze the rail line with a narrow road. As Thomas entered this stretch of street trackage, he could spot a pair of teens, one raven-haired boy and one redhead girl, exit a home on the right side of the line.

"Peep peep! Watch out! Train coming through!" The girl appeared to be startled by Thomas's whistled. As she turned to see where the whistle sound had come from, she tripped over one of the rails, and fell to the ground. The girl was now lying over the tracks, with Thomas the Tank Engine rushing towards her.

"BRAKES, SAKOTO! BRAKES!" Thomas cried. Sakoto hastily shut off steam and applied the brakes, but Thomas was still going much too fast to stop in time. He shut his eyes, and prepared for the unimaginable. Something smushed and crunched all over his wheels as he stopped, all but certain sealing the fate of the girl.

"Kaede! Are you all right?-!" Thomas opened his eyes. He couldn't see behind him, nor could he understand the language that they were speaking in, but he could hear the two teens. Meaning that Thomas wasn't involved in a fatal tragedy. So…

"What's that sticky substance on my wheels?" he wondered.

"I'm guessing some once-pleasantly prepared sushi, Thomas," Sakoto answered. Kaede, the girl, followed Sakoto's gaze, and gasped at what she saw.

"Oh no! Rin! Our lunches!" Thomas's lead wheels were covered in bits of food and liquid, and a pair of lunchboxes were lying on the ground not far away, smashed and tattered beyond use.

"It's a lot better than if it was you or me under there," the boy (Rin) stated. The two then walked to the front of the train, and faced Thomas.

"I'm sorry if we caused you any anxiety or panic," he apologized (To Thomas's delight, in English).

"Not at all!" Thomas replied. "It wasn't like I was expecting you two to be in the middle of the road. Just watch out for trains next time, okay?"

"Sure thing. My name is Rin Tsuchimi, and this girl is Kaede Fuyou, my childhood friend." The two bowed at Thomas.

"Nice to meet you," Kaede said.

"Likewise," Thomas replied. "I'm Thomas the Tank Engine. Please tell me that you've heard of something remotely similar to that." The two teens thought hard.

"Sorry," Rin apologized. "I can't say I have."

"Neither can I," Kaede said likewise.

"Bother!" Thomas snapped, and angrily wheeshed steam. The two teens laughed. Rin checked his watch, and nearly gasped when he did.

"Aw, shoot!" he gasped. "We're going to be late for homeroom if we don't step on it!" Kaede was equally surprised.

"Ah! And I need to make a new lunch for you, Rin!"

"Nadeshiko-sensei's definitely going to make us do thirty laps around the track with a tire as punishment," Rin contemplated. It was then that Sakoto stepped out of Thomas's cab.

"Maybe not," she said. "Where do you two attend school?"

"The National Verbena Academy in the Kawasaki ward," Rin replied. Sakoto smiled.

"Then you're in luck! Our line happens to pass right next to the Academy! If you don't mind the coal dust and the cramped conditions, we can offer you a lift. That is, If Thomas is okay with it."

"I don't mind at all," Thomas said. "Anything to repay for your damaged lunches."

"And anything to get to school on time," Rin stated. With that agreed on, Kaede went into their house to make new lunches, emerging with them a few minutes later. She and Rin then climbed into Thomas's cab.

"All set?" Sakoto asked, to which the two nodded. She then released the train's brakes, and pulled the throttle open. "Go to it, Thomas!"

"Come along! Come along!" Thomas sang to the cars.

"We're coming along! We're coming along!" the cars sang back.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" The journey to the Academy wasn't a long one, as Rin and Kaede lived fifteen minutes away from the school when they walked. Soon enough, Thomas was slowing down as they arrived at the entrance to the Academy. Rin and Kaede were already out of Thomas's cab before he stopped.

"Thanks for the ride!" Rin hollered back, as he and Kaede ran into the school just as the bell rang. Kaede waved at Thomas as well.

"Looks like they made it in time," Sakoto sighed, wiping her brow. "I'm amazed that you can accelerate that quickly."

"Well, when you race Bertie the Bus enough times, you learn to be able to kick things up a gear, if you know what I mean," Thomas boasted.

"Who's Bertie the Bus?" his driver asked. Thomas groaned.

"You've never been to the Island of Sodor either, have you?" And so, for the rest of the day, starting with his great race with Bertie, Thomas told Sakoto all about the Island of Sodor, and all the engines that lived on its various railways. The work passed by quickly in this manner, and before long, night had fallen, and Thomas was in the sheds with Aiko, as Sakoto finished putting out Thomas's fire. The sheds were about the same size as the ones in Tidmouth, with eight stalls. At the present moment, only Thomas and Aiko occupied any tracks.

"It was nice working with you," Thomas said, as Sakoto's feet touched the firm ground of the shed.

"Likewise," she replied. "Thanks to you, I feel like I know enough about Sodor to convince people that I've actually been there!"

"Unfortunately, we can't say that Thomas is going to be going back anytime soon," a voice called from the shed's doors.

"Mr. Soroi!" Aiko and Sakoto said in surprise. Thomas was surprised for a different reason.

"Rin? Kaede?" The two teens bracketed Mr. Soroi on either side. Rin was holding a pair of buckets, while Kaede held several towels in her hands.

"Thomas, I just finished calling Sir Topham Hatt just now," Mr. Soroi said. "He's confirmed with me that my engine is still on Sodor. However, just before he was to leave for Tokyo, there was a massive volcanic eruption, and all flights to and from western Europe are cancelled. For all intents and purposes, Thomas, you're stuck here."

"But what about Vancouver?" Thomas asked.

"It would be too much to schedule a new flight on such short notice. So for now, I must ask you to work on my railway. I do need the strength of another engine at the moment." Thomas looked at Rin and Kaede, then Sakoto, before looking back at Mr. Soroi.

"I'd love to," he replied. "With all the friends I've made today, I think that this is the only other place I'd work besides Sodor."

"Excellent!" Mr. Soroi smiled. Aiko groaned. "Now, I ran into these fing young children on my way here. They said that they want to give you their thanks for today…"

"…In the form of a washdown," Kaede finished.

"Kaede and I felt that we were at fault for the near-accident," Rin explained, "so we decided that to truly be on equal terms, we should give you a proper bath." Thomas felt embarrassed.

"Don't worry!" he told them. "You don't owe me-!"

"I was thinking of giving Thomas a washdown myself!" Sakoto interjected. "I'll go get a hose!" Before Thomas could argue, Sakoto was gone.

"We looked you up when we were finished with school," Rin said to Thomas. "I can't believe we're friends with one of Europe's most famous engines."

"It's an honor for Japan to be hosting _the_only Thomas the Tank Engine!" Kaede stated.

"Indeed," Mr. Soroi nodded. Akio snorted.

"Great!" she huffed crossly. "First we had a squatter from England, and now a celebrity square wheels?-!" Thomas glanced at her.

"Be careful what you say about square wheels," he warned her. "I know someone who had them, and I've gotta tell you that Henry was not giving high praise to them afterwards."

"Oh, whatever!" Just then, Sakoto came back, holding a hose in her right hand.

"Alright!" she cheered. "Let's get this party started!" She turned on the hose – and accidentally soaked Rin's shirt to the bone!"

"Hey!" he groaned. "I thought Thomas was getting the bath, not me!" Everybody laughed, including Thomas. He now was very happy that he had travelled for Sir Topham Hatt. If he hadn't, Thomas would never had met any of the people in Tokyo that he can now call his friends.

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><p><strong>Thomas and Primula<strong>

The next day came much too early for Thomas. The washdown that he was supposed to get from Rin and Kaede turned into a sort of water war between the two and Sakoto and Mr. Soroi, with the former pair emerging victorious. Thomas yawned as the firelighter lit Thomas's fire, and moved him outside of the sheds into the early morning light. His freshly-cleaned paint glistened in the sun, and the reflection from Thomas's brass caused Aiko to squint.

"Ah! Hey, firelighter! Move our squatter back a bit more! I'm going blind here!" So the firelighter moved Thomas back a bit. "That's better, thanks!"

"Squatter?" Thomas balked. "What makes you say that? I was shipped here by accident, after all!"

"How many guests get a comprehensive washdown on their first day here?" she retorted.

"You're only jealous because you were pulling coal trucks all day!" Thomas shot back. In contrast to Thomas's shine, Aiko's black paint was covered in grime and coal dust. Before the argument could escalate any further, Sakoto announced her arrival with a somewhat sleepy yawn.

"_Ohayou,_Thomas!" she greeted. "We've got to bring another train over to the transfer yards, so let's get started right away."

"Yes ma'am!" Thomas replied. He wanted to get out early as well, but for two entirely different reasons. He met up with both of them outside the National Verbena Academy.

"Peep! Peep! Good morning, Rin and Kaede!"

"_Konichiwa_, Thomas!" they both replied.

"Conitchiwar?" Thomas asked confused. "I thought you greeted people here with _ohayou_?" Rin smiled.

"You do. Both words are used as a greeting."

"So it's like saying 'Hello,' and 'Good morning?'" Thomas asked.

"_Hai_," Kaede answered. Thomas looked at her in bewilderment.

"…yes," Sakoto finally translated.

"You're teaching me Japanese when we get back to the sheds," Thomas stated. Rin chuckled, then nearly fell to the ground as something slapped his back with tremendous force.

"Gah! Asa?-!"

"Hello, Rin!" a peppy voice said from behind him. It belonged to a girl with short bright green hair and one of the bigger smiles that Thomas had ever seen.

"G-good morning, Asa," Kaede greeted.

"Hi, Kaede! What are you and Rin doing here, and why are you talking to a steam engine?"

"More importantly, are you sure you didn't kill Rin there?" Thomas asked.

"Nope! I do that all the time to him!" Thomas was lucky that he didn't have to endure that on a daily basis. If Emily biffed him every time she saw him…

"A-anyway," Rin said, as he got up, "Asa, this Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas, this is Asa Shigure. I've known her for four years, but she's a _semapi_, a student older than me and Kaede." The green haired girl eyed Thomas.

"So you're Thomas? I was wondering why Rin asked me to look up an engine by that name yesterday, but since you guys know each other, it makes perfect sense. Nice to meet you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Thomas said. "I'd love to talk to you guys more, but I'm needed at the transfer yards now, and I'm sure that you guys need to get to class."

"Okay," Rin nodded.

"Come see us soon!" Kaede added, as Thomas departed for the yards.

"How can a train see you soon?" Asa wondered. "They're fixed to where their tracks go." Meanwhile, Thomas reached the curve that led to the stretch of street trackage by Kaede's house. Since nobody was on the street, Thomas could look at his surroundings more than the last time. He noticed a pair of estates that bracketed the small home on either side. The one to the right had an ornate, Asian feel to it, while the one on the left was in the style of a western home, complete with brick walls and an iron gate. The strangest thing Thomas noticed, however, was that the two houses each took up the same amount of land as four of Rin and Kaede's household.

"So which ordinance allowed those two mansions to be built?" Thomas wondered.

"Good question," Sakoto replied. "The two homes only appeared a few days before you arrived, Thomas. One day, eight ordinary families were living there, but the next, these two properties are plopped down in the same place. It happened so fast, that the local kids call these two places 'The Magic Houses.'"

"Who lives in them?"

"Nobody knows, although I heard that they were recently moved into." Thomas pondered this, as he chuffed away.

The National Verbena Academy is not a school with tradition. It was only completed a few years ago, but it was quickly establishing itself as the premier high school in the Kawasaki ward. Its modern facilities and high standards of teaching attract students from all over Japan and beyond to wear the brown and white shirts or blouses of the Academy. At the present moment, two of its students were walking into their classroom, when…

"Good morning, Kaede!" A vibrant glasses-wearing boy with light brown hair exclaimed as he attempted to hug the aforementioned Kaede.

"Good morning, Itsuki," Rin muffled, as he intercepted the boy's hug. Itsuki groaned,

"Rin…get out of my face…" He did a bone-cracking bear hug before letting Rin go.

"Honestly, Itsuki, will you give it up already?" Rin groaned. "I'm getting tired of being hugged by you every day!"

"Hey!" Itsuki interjected. "I'm sick of hugging you every day too!"

"E-er, good morning, Itsuki…" Kaede meekly interrupted. Itsuki regained his former cheeriness.

"Good morning, Kaede! Your beauty is a crime. May I arrest you?"

"That is the coldest pickup line I've ever heard," a new voice deadpanned. It came from a girl who had grey hair, and a mix of one res eye, and one blue eye.

"Those words are suitable for my sweet look, Mayumi," Itsuki told the girl. "I'd say something sweet to you too if your breasts weren't a washboard." Oddly enough, the girl didn't seem annoyed by the truth. Instead, she stuck out her said chest and put on a snobby smile.

"I will definitely, clearly, and vividly refuse that, thank you!Besides, I'm a special commodity. Having smaller than average breasts means that I'm very special!"

"Good morning, Mayumi," Kaede greeted.

"Seeing that you're in a good mood means that you've hit a new scoop," Rin guessed. Mayumi nodded.

"We're definitely chaining Itsuki up so that he doesn't get close to the new transfer students," she said. Itsuki put on a face, but the heterochromatic girl ignored him. "They're both transferring into our class, and they're arriving tomorrow. They're both of different races again, which of the three I do not know."

"It seems strange," Rin noted, ignoring Itsuki's maniacal laughter in the background. "First we have the two Magic Houses appear, and now we have two transfer students arriving at the same time, and in the same class."

"It is odd…" Mayumi muttered.

"Perhaps they both have a crush on someone in our class," Kaede suggested, "and persuaded the administration into placing them here." Rin and Mayumi shook their heads.

"It's not like we're playing a visual novel or something," Mayumi stated.

"Yeah Kaede," Rin agreed. "That sort of situation only happens in – Itsuki, you're grinning like an idiot, so what is it?" Rin's classmate stopped laughing, but still kept his smirk.

"It's easy!" he answered. "I'm excited because the fact that you want me to stay away from them means that either one or both of them is a girl! Encountering a new lady is always full of joy and happiness!"

"For the smartest person in the class, you are the dumbest, most idiotic human being that I know," Mayumi muttered. Kaede nervously grinned.

"My instinct tells me that at least one of them is going to be a top-class lady!" Itsuki continued.

"What instinct?-!" Rin demanded. Before he could get an answer, the door to the classroom opened, and a young woman with long black hair stepped into the room. She was not wearing a school uniform.

"It's time for homeroom, guys!" she yelled. "Butts in seats!" With that, everyone scurried to their proper seats. "Let's see…everyone's here, that's good…Tsuchime!"

"Here, Nadeshiko-sensei!" Rin stated.

"Come with me. We need to talk." Rin was confused, but he followed the teacher out of the room, and into the hallway.

"Is there a problem with my last test?" he nervously asked.

"Yes," Nadeshiko admitted, "but that's for another time and place. Let's see…by chance, do you remember meeting any girls who were of different races when you were little?" Rin was confused.

"Huh? Nadeshiko-sensei, I didn't even understand the concept of the different races back then. If I did meet one, I most certainly would not remember it." Nadeshiko sighed.

"What can you do…?" Thomas whistled in the background as he passed the school, but Rin didn't register the thought.

"Is there something going on?" Rin asked. Nadeshiko put on a serious face.

"Depending on how you view the situation, it might. I've never heard of anything like this outside of fiction." She placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "All I can say is GOOD LUCK! A love affair is hard enough to handle, but three is over most of our heads. I'll support you in any decision that you make. Be strong!" Before Rin could give an answer, Nadeshiko walked back into the classroom, leaving Rin to stare blankly down the hallway.

"Maybe Kaede was right…?" he pondered. "Best not to tell Mayumi or Itsuki…" Meanwhile, Thomas arrived at the main yards, which were only a few minutes' walk from the Academy. Sakoto hopped down and uncoupled the cars from Thomas's train, and then powered Thomas to the fueling plant. Mr. Soroi was waiting for them.

"I have a brand new engine waiting for me at the Kitasura Works," he told the pair. "Aiko's away on another coal run, so I want you to fetch her for me. I also need you to drop off a load of parts for the plant, and pick up a load of chains that need to be delivered to the transfer yard."

"Yes sir!" they said, and quickly set off for work. It took only a few minutes to round up the cars that were needed for delivery. Thomas shunted the brakevan into place, then ran around to the front of the train. As he did so, he spotted a small girl that was standing not far from the tracks. She had short purple hair that was tied up into two pigtails, and wore a black turtleneck and a black and white plaid skirt. She was holding an old black stuffed cat in her hands, with the white stuffing visible against the felt fur. Curiously, however, her ears narrowed down in such a way that they were pointed, rather than rounded off. She stared at Thomas with an emotionless expression until she recognized that he was staring at her, and then turned around and walked away.

'_I __wonder __who __that __was,_' he thought, as he was coupled up to the train. The line north out of the yard was exclusively used by the Kanto railway. It consists of two tracks that traverse a series of bridges and tunnels that skirt the Tokyo Bay. A few spur lines branch off at some points, but it's primarily a straight shot. After the last bridge, Thomas reached a junction. He followed the points, which led to the left track, and headed off across more waterways. The line soon plunged into the city on an elevation, before opening up on a flat plateau where a few large buildings were. This was the Kitsaru Works.

Thomas looked around. There were some yard tracks that were open, but most of them held flatbeds that were loaded with long, covered objects and small tenders, reminding Thomas of a certain incident involving boiler sludge. The main plant looked similar to the Sodor Steamworks, except that there was no transfer table, and it appeared to cater to steam engines, diesels, coaches, and cars alike. A blue six-wheeled saddle-tank engine chuffed out of the building. He and Thomas were both surprised to see each other.

"Thomas?" the engine asked. "Is that you? What are you doing in Tokyo?"

"I could say the same for you, Wilbert!" Thomas replied. "I got here by accident, but I'm sure the Forest of Dean wouldn't have the same thing happen to you."

"You're right on that," Wilbert replied. "I needed repairs, but my line had no room in the shops to do so. Rather than leave me to rust on the sidings, they decided to lease me to the works here. In exchange for giving me an overhaul and a new boiler ticket, I'm to work here until the repair's paid off in lease payments."

"And how long's that?" Thomas wondered.

"Oh, not much longer. By next week, I should be home. Whenever that volcano stops erupting, that is. Anyway, what can I do for you, Thomas?"

"I've got some engine parts for you, and I'm supposed to pick up some chains and an engine." Wilbert understood instantly.

"Right away!" He was about to leave when Thomas called him to stop.

"Wait, hold on! How long have you been in Tokyo?"

"Eh?" Wilbert thought about this. "Let's see…I 've been working here for six months, and was under repair-"

"Good enough. I saw a girl just before with curious ears. They were pointed, not rounded."

"How long were they?" Thomas blinked. "Well, if they're long, she's a god. If she's got longer ears, then you saw a devil." The blue tank engine was still perplexed.

"You're not making any sense," he stated. "How can there be gods or devils in the world? Last I heard, you could only find them in mythology or religion!"

"I don't really know anything more about them," Wilbert admitted. "Beyond that, no one has given me anything more on the matter." Sakoto stepped out of Thomas's cab, and walked up to face the two engines.

"I'm not surprised that you don't know about them," she told them. "The gods and devils haven't migrated very far out of Japan ever since Kamion."

"Kamion?" Wilbert inquired.

"It means the opening of the gate, though we simply call it the gate-opening nowadays in English. Do you happen to remember any sort of earth tremor ten years ago?" Thomas and Wilbert thought hard.

"Yes," Thomas answered. "I was taking the first morning train up the branchline to Ffarquarh when everything started to shake violently. I remember hearing Percy and James's shrieking cries of panic while it was shaking, but when everything stopped, we realized that not even a daisy was pushed over." He paused. "It was like we only perceived the earthquake in our minds, instead of it actually being there."

"It was there," Sakoto assured him, "but it was nothing like anyone ever experienced in their lifetimes. When it stopped, Japan was littered with portals that connected both the realms of the gods and the realms of the devils to our world. It was truly amazing. For the first time, humankind was no longer alone in this universe, and magic and alchemy were not limited to the realms of fiction."

"Hold on," Wilbert interrupted. "Why only ten years ago? I have seen a lot of gods and devils who are much older than ten years."

"That's because there were much smaller openings that led up to Kamion," she explained. "That's how we have many mixed strained people in the world. Anyway, three years after Kamion, the gates had to be closed. The fact that we don't have any magic in this world meant that there was a serious imbalance in the other two realms. They were able to stabilize the links last winter, but that was only a temporary fix. We're still looking for a way to safely link the three worlds for good." Finished with her explanation, she walked back to Thomas's cab. "Anyway, we've got to turn around on the turntable over there to head back to the yard."

"I can run just as well forwards or backwards, you know," Thomas pointed out.

"We're going to have to travel on the commuter lines later," she said. "They forbid us to operate an engine tender or bunker-first."

"Seems a bit strange," he muttered, as he went on the turntable. While he waited, he took a glance at the new engine. She was painted black, just like Aiko, but the engine had a 2-8-0 wheel arrangement. She also looked much friendlier than Aiko.

"Hello!" Thomas said to the new engine, as he backed down onto the train. "I'm Thomas. Who are you?"

"I'm Kaiyo," the engine replied. "Are you one of the engines that Mr. Soroi bought from America?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Thomas replied. "I'm here by mistake until your actual engine arrives." Thomas was coupled up, and was about to depart, when Wilbert puffed up alongside.

"The manager just got off the phone with the track boss," he told the engine. "There have been reports all over the railway that a little purple-haired girl has been seen walking the tracks around the bridges nearby. Take care as you go by."

"We'll see if we can get her off of the lines as well," Sakoto promised.

"It was nice seeing you again, Wilbert!" Thomas said, as he departed for the main yards.

"Same here!" Wilbert called out. "See you soon!" As he said this, he felt droplets of water splash against his boiler.

"Oh dear," he muttered. "I hope Thomas will be all right." By the time Thomas had reached the junction with the eastern main line, those droplets of water became torrents of rain that blinded his eyes. Sakoto was having trouble seeing ahead as well, so she had Thomas run very slowly down the line.

"Once again, the weatherman was wrong about there being sunny skies today," she sighed. Something suddenly caught her eye on the tracks ahead. They were approaching a bridge, and it appeared that someone was standing on the tracks.

"Hey!" she yelled, and pulled Thomas's whistle cord. The person appeared to be startled by Thomas's whistle. As the person turned to see what was the source of the whistle, the person slipped on the wet rails, going head-first towards the side of the bridge. With the rain letting up, the only thing Thomas could see was a flash of purple and a body falling off the side of the bridge, and into the channel below.

"Cinders and ashes!" Thomas cried. "Stop! Stop!" Even as he was saying this, he could feel his brakes coming on, as Sakoto brought him to as stop just before the bridge. The driver jumped out, and looked into the water. The person was staying afloat, but because of vertical concrete walls, there was no chance of the person climbing out by him or herself.

"What are we going to do?" Thomas cried. "We can't leave her here, and the person might drown by the time help arrives!" Just then, Kayio remembered that she wasn't the only load on Thomas's train.

"What about the chains in the cars?" she asked. "If we hook up a long chain to Thomas, and tie the other end to-"

"-me, yes!" Sakoto caught on. "It might just work!" She and the fireman got out and retrieved a long chain from one of the cars. The chain clattered as it was dragged along the ground. Sakoto wrapped one end around her waist, while the fireman attached the other end onto Thomas's front coupling.

"When I wave back at you, back Thomas up!" Sakoto told the fireman. She then took hold of the slack of the chain, and began her descent down the side of the channel. By feeding only a little of the chain, she was able to control her descent down to the water level. The chain lost all slack just as she reached the water.

"Hey!" she called out to the person. "Over here!" The person spotted Sakoto, and swam over to her. Once the person was safely in her arms, Sakoto waved up to the fireman. The fireman then went inside Thomas's cab, set the reverser, and began to back the train up. Inch by inch, Sakoto and the person were brought up from the river, while Thomas pushed hard against the heavy train.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Thomas huffed.

"You can do it! You can do it!" Kayio cheered on. After a few tense minutes, the fireman shut off steam. Sakoto was back on dry land, along with the person whom she rescued. The person was a girl with purple hair that was very familiar to Thomas.

"Was this the person who you saw earlier, Thomas?" Sakoto inquired. Sure enough, the person they had rescued was the same, emotionless girl that he saw in the yards.

"Yes," he replied. "But where's your cat, little girl?" Before he even got an answer, Sakoto walked back towards the bridge. A few feet away from the spot where the girl had fallen off was the stuffed cat, which was soaked to the bone with water. By the time she returned with the cat, the sudden shower that had caused this entire mess what ceased, and the sun began to shine once again. The driver gave the stuffed cat back to the girl.

"If I may ask, what is your name?" she asked.

"…Primula…" It was as faint as a mouse's footfall, and as soft as a harp, but the girl did speak.

"A lovely name, Primula," she continued. "I must ask you, why were you walking on the tracks? It's dangerous to walk on private property where Thomas and his friends on the railway run." Thomas had a theory.

"You said that gods or devils come from other worlds. Maybe there is no equivalent to a railway there? After all, if you don't know what something is like, then you can't know if it is dangerous or not, right?" Primula nodded, and Sakoto gave a sheepish apology to the little girl.

"My bad," she admitted. "Just remember not to walk on the tracks like you did before, okay?" Primula nodded. "Good! Now with that settled and out of the way, let's bring you back with us to the sheds. It's not safe to be wandering in this area to begin with, and your parents are probably worried sick." Primula didn't respond. She merely stared at Thomas.

"I think…she might not have any…" Thomas slowly realized. While this going on, Rin, who had finished his day's work at school, was at the local supermarket, picking up groceries that were needed back at Kaede's house. Fortunately for him, the store was not very crowded, so he had an easy time finding what he needed, which, at the present moment, was milk. He picked up a gallon of milk, and placed it in his shopping bag.

"I know Kaede tells me not to worry about shopping and all," he said to himself, "but as a freeloader, I have to help out somehow, don't I?" He paused, mentally going over what he could get.

"Hmmm…maybe some meat would be good…" Rin walked into the meat department. Immediately, he saw the only other person in that area – a god with long, reddish-brown hair and a pink sleeveless dress. She was staring intently at two packages of meat, a large package and a smaller package. Rin couldn't help but overhear the girl talking to herself as he passed her by.

"…when I calculate the price, this one is cheaper per gram…but this one is just cheaper…maybe this one is a better buy. After all, dad eats a ton of this…but we could try this – no. If we did, the I would have just bought it at the last store-!" The girl noticed Rin's presence. She spun around, and cast her bright yellow eyes on Rin.

"Hey, Rin! Can you help me please?"

"Sure," the boy answered. "What's the matter?"

"Well, I've narrowed it down to these two choices," she explained. "However, I have a dad who really likes to eat a lot, so I'm not sure which is better: two smaller packs, or one larger pack? Savings or quantity? Please choose! I'm in full panic mode!" Rin thought over the choices for a few seconds.

"Well…if he eats as much as you lead me to believe…then perhaps two would be able to satisfy your dad…" The girl beamed.

"You think so?" she asked. "Well…he does eat a lot, after all…" she placed two packages in her shopping basket. "Thanks, Rin! Now I'll be able to make the bargain sale at the pharmacy in time!" Before Rin could say anything else, the girl scurried away.

"You're welcome…" he called out, but she was already out of earshot. "To think someone has as much energy as Asa…"

Somewhere in the store, Rin thought he heard a sneeze, and then a high pitched voice, but he dismissed the thought. He finished getting what he needed, paid for it at the register, and set off for Kaede's house. All in all, he had three bags carried in his hands, each of which was straining at the seam with food and drink.

"With this, I don't think we'll need to go shopping for a while," he mused. "I'll just tell Kaede that I had to get something else at the store for myself. That way, she'll only be able to accept these groceries. I'll also fold the bags for her. That and carrying the heavy bags are about the only things I have more confidence in doing than Kaede…" He was going to say something more when a beautiful, clear voice pierced through the air like a feather.

'Singing?' he wondered. 'In the park?' Rin walked a bit further. At the corner where the street Rin was on and the street where his house was located much further down, was a small park. It could hardly be called a park, however; it only consisted of a swing set, jungle bars, and a sandbox. On the swings was another girl. She had long, blue hair and wore a yellow dress with black lacing. A black ribbon was tied into her hair, and she pushed back and forth on the swing, singing the beautiful melody that Rin was hearing.

'_This__song__makes__the__ears__…__no,__my__whole__body...so__loose__and__relaxed._' He carefully place his bags down, closed his eyes, and listened to the soft song that the girl was singing. '_It__'__s__just__as__beautiful__as__its__singer__…_'

"Ah…" Rin opened his eyes, finding the girl's red, upward eyes staring right back at him. She had stopped singing, and instead was blushing in embarrassment. It was at this time that Rin noticed her ears: Long, but longer than the god that he encountered in the supermarket, meaning that this girl was a Devil.

"Erm…I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Rin was equally embarrassed, and he bowed in apology.

"N…no, not at all," she replies in a voice as gentle as the clouds. "Please, don't worry about it." Rin looked away, going red in the face by just hearing her voice.

"Y-you're very good at singing…" he told her. The girl simply shook her head.

"No, there are a lot more people that are better than me. I thought I was alone, so I do feel embarrassed at the moment…" She got off the swing. "I'm sorry, but I must be going."

"Oh…" Rin replied. "I'm sorry for interrupting you…"

"No," the girl told him. "Our time speaking may have been brief, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope we can speak again soon, Rin."

"Sure," Rin said. "If it's possible, I'd like to hear your singing again." The devil began to walk away, a slightly downcast look in her eyes.

"Maybe…if there's a chance…" the girl rounded a corner, and disappeared from Rin's line of sight.

"I must be very lucky," Rin stated. "Seeing two very beautiful young women from different strains in the same day is not a common...wait…." A sudden thought occurred to him.

"When did I tell those two my name?"

That night, Thomas and Aiko waited in the sheds with Primula. Kayio backed into the sheds, having completed her first day back at work.

"It's been so long since I stretched my wheels," she sighed. "A good day's work has never felt any better at any point of my life than it does now!"

"Just wait until the drudgery of everyday work sets in," Aiko groaned. "Then tell me how your wheels feel." Sakoto walked into the sheds.

"So what did Mr. Soroi say?" Thomas asked her.

"He said that Primula's welcomed to stay for the next few days," she told him. "But she can't live in the sheds forever. We'll have to find someone that is willing to take her in."

"Primula, is there a reason why you are here in Tokyo?" Kayio asked. Primula looked at her.

"…I came to find Rin…" These words were immediately picked up by Thomas and Sakoto.

"Rin?-!" Thomas gasped. Primula turned to Thomas.

"You know Rin?" she asked. Sakoto shook her head.

"We know A Rin," she explained, "but whether or not he's THE Rin that you're looking for is another matter in itself. Anyway, it's time for you to go to bed. A young girl such as yourself needs to have an early bedtime."

"…I'm 16…"

"…You were wet and cold, so you wouldn't want to catch a cold, right?" Sakoto recovered from the initial shock, and led Primula into the worker's quarters behind the shed, leaving Thomas and the others to mull the information that they just heard.

* * *

><p><strong>The Prince of Three Worlds<strong>

"We're running out of sunny days," Aiko noted the next morning. The sun was shining, and the three engines were sizzling nicely as they awaited their first orders of the day. "It's almost the rainy season, and I wouldn't mind if a certain blue engine was left out in the cold from here on out." Thomas simply looked away.

"As could I!" he snapped. "How is it that such a fussy tender engine such as yourself obtain a job on this railway anyway?"

"It's all thanks to Mr. Soroi," Kayio explained, trying to mediate between the two. "We were all once part of the mainline fleet until the 1970s, when the electric and diesel engines took over. Personally, I thought I was going to be cut up for scrap, like so many of my sisters before me. That's when Mr. Soroi bought us up. He didn't have a railway for us to run on, as they were all owned by the government, but he promised to get us work wherever he could give it to us. There were a total of six of us, and while we rarely worked on the same lines, there was a definite bond between us. Not that Aiko's likely to admit it."

"Don't answer back, don't answer back, DON'T answer back…" Aiko muttered.

"Where did you guys work?" Thomas asked.

"All over the globe," Kayio answered. "From heritage lines here, to the ore runs in Australia and Africa, even to exotic India for a spell. If it had 3ft 6inches between the rails, we were there."

"So how did you guys end up here?" Thomas wondered.

"After the gates between the worlds closed, Tokyo became a boon for tech and heavy industry. Being the main concentration behind the gates between the worlds, it was also the principal area on Earth where they tried to fix the magic problems that plagued the other two worlds. However, the transportation network couldn't handle the influx of goods. As the system was designed for people moving and not freight traffic, the roads got clogged with trucks, while the railway was unable to handle much traffic at all.

"And that's where the Kanto Railway comes in. By having a wider, dedicated freight railroad that has access to most of the city, we take most of the trucks off the road, while avoiding a burden on the main network. Plus, the wider gauge means that we can carry bigger and heavier loads. Other engines were brought in while we were overhauled and regauged for your width, and some legal work needed to be done with the Keisei and Seibu lines, which run the electric trains on most of our routes. But we were able to open up service with Aiko in time for the reopening of the gates."

"And since then," a voice yawned, "I've barely gotten a week's worth of vacation!" It was Sakoto, who was already dressed in her railway uniform.

"Good morning, Sakoto!" Thomas peeped. "How was Primula?"

"A very sound sleeper," she told him. "Mr. Soroi's taking her to Tokyo Disneyland so she can experience a bit of fun in this world. She seems so bent on finding 'Rin' that I think it's messed up her little brain."

"Maybe it's the Rin that we know?" Thomas suggested. Sakoto climbed into his cab.

"You'll have a chance to find out in a bit. We're taking another transfer train down the line." Thomas steamed off to collect his cars, and was soon steaming nicely down the line. This time, he met with Rin and Kaede halfway to the school. Sakoto shut off steam and eased Thomas to a stop not too far from the small playground.

"Good morning, my friends!" Thomas said to them. He then noticed Rin's face, which wore an expression of confusion. "Something on your mind, Rin?"

"He's been like that all morning," Kaede explained. "I think it's something about the transfer students."

"Huh?"

"We're having two new students transferring into our class apparently, and the school's been up in a flurry over them. Normally, Rin doesn't take much interest in them…"

"To think that we'll have three beautiful goddesses in our class…" Rin muttered. "…No, it's too much of a coincidence…"

"I see where you're trying to lead me," Thomas said.

"Speaking of transfers," Sakoto stepped in, "did you hear the evening news last night?"

"U-uh, no," Kaede answered.

"Something the matter?" Thomas asked her.

"The complete opposite!" the green-haired driver stated. "Apparently, the Kings of both the realm of the Gods and the realm of the Devils moved to Tokyo last night!" Rin suddenly perked his head. Even though he was mulling over a certain fantasy, a person such as the ruler of a planet does command a lot of attention.

"Is it for some sort of goodwill gesture?" he asked. Sakoto shook her head.

"No. From what they were reporting, it has something to do with their respective daughters, the princesses of both worlds." Rin froze, the color draining out of his face. Neither Thomas or Kaede noticed.

"Some kings they are," Thomas noted, "letting their daughters boss them around like that."

"Don't say such things, Thomas!" Kaede scolded. "My friend Mayumi said that the two Kings apparently weren't treated that well by their respective fathers, so they always strive to give them the best childhood that their daughters wish to have."

"In Tokyo?" Thomas doubted. "Did they say anything else, Sakoto?"

"Aside from the King of the Gods threatening reporters with 'I'll personally see to it that your supervisors are left without a headquarters building if you paparazzi try to coax any more information out of us, our daughters, or their friends without us approving an interview,' then no." Thomas shuddered.

"I hope I never have to see him on his bad side. Anyway, can I ask you something, Rin?" The raven-haired boy returned to the living.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you know anyone by the name of Primula?" Rin cocked his head.

"Um…no, can't say I have. Why?"

"Er…it's nothing important. Anyway, it was nice seeing you again. Goodbye!" Thomas puffed off to the transfer yard. Later, when Kaede told Mayumi about the conversation in class, the heterochromatic girl began to form her own conclusions.

"If what Thomas said is true, then they might be who are living in the Magic houses that surround yours," she theorized. "Think of it, Rin: you might be surrounded by beauties even outside your home." Rin shied away from this idea.

"Ah, no thanks," he replied. "Anyway, where are all the boys?" The classroom was about half-empty, with Rin being the lone male representative in the classroom. Mayumi groaned.

"Did you forget who's coming to class today? The transfer students are in the teacher's lounge. Better yet, Itsuki's instinct was understating the results."

"You mean his babbling about the top-class lady stuff was right?" Rin asked.

"More like top-class _ladies_," she corrected. "They look like teenage supermodels! The entire boy's population in the school is jammed in the hallway around the lounge. I even heard that a few of them got trampled in a stampede to get to the doorway…a few of them went to the hospital."

"I understand," Rin said.

"Why aren't you there, Mayumi?" Kaede inquired. "Usually you'd be running to the scene with your camera." Mayumi smiled triumphantly as she took out a digital camera.

"I took pictures of them a long time ago," she explained. "Wanna see, Rin?" Rin resisted the urge to look, and went over to his seat.

"No thank you. Homeroom's going to start soon, and unlike the rest of the boys, I'd rather save the surprise for the introduction."

"Ho-ho!" Mayumi chuckled. "I almost chastised you for not acting like a man, but I guess when you're taken care of by a beautiful woman, you don't have to settle for any other girl."

"I've heard that tease so much, that I'm not even going to respond to it."

"Bleah!" Mayumi merely stuck out her tongue at her friend. Kaede blushed.

"M-Mayumi!" Kaede stuttered. "You know that I take care of him because I want to!"

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Tsuchimi. Anyway, be careful, Rin. There's going to be some trouble ahead." Before either Kaede or Rin could respond, the loud thuds of footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. Soon, the boys, led by Itsuki, marched into the classroom and took their seats, followed by Nadeshiko. She took out the attendance list, and marks off the absentees. Not surprisingly, the boys have a perfect attendance.

"Everyone, butts in seats," she ordered sternly, "ESPECIALLY if you're a boy! It's not like I don't understand how you feel, so I'll let it slide this time. HOWEVER, if I catch you guys out there again, it's thirty laps carrying a bowling bag AND a yellow card! Got that?"

"YES MA'MAN!-!" It seemed like the boys didn't care what she said. Nadeshiko sighed. Rin, who sat by a window, had to bear the brunt of Mayumi, who sat behind him, hissing at Itsuki, who sat in front of him.

"Can you get a grip, moron?-!"

"No, I can't! The first impression a guy makes to a girl is crucial!"

"Whatever, be a freak."

"Since it looks like you guys are about to explode, I'll save the suspense." She turns to the door. "Come on in, you guys." The door opened, and the guys gave a standing ovation. A firecracker popped out of nowhere, and confetti began falling from the ceiling. It should be noted that Rin, who was lazily staring out the window, was not part of the standing ovation.

"AHAHAHAHA!-! The schools of the human worlds are very interesting places indeed!"

"You're right! With all of these beautiful young ladies in the room, it's as if I've become young again!"

Rin's attention was drawn to the two, distinct, MALE voices at the front of the room. You could hear a pin drop as everyone saw two middle-aged men step into the room. One was a god who had two short horns on his head and wore a traditional blue kimino, while the other was a red-eyed devil with waist-length grey hair and wore a black turtleneck with black leather jeans.

"What's wrong?" the god wondered, puzzled at the sudden silence. "It's so quiet now. Where's all that energy?"

"Don't intimidate them, Eustoma," the devil suggested them. "They're just a little shy."

"You're probably right, Forbessi. I remember when I was like that…"

"High expectations lead to high disappointment, huh?" Rin noted. He tapped Itsuki on the shoulder. "Top-class, huh?" Itsuki didn't even turn around.

"Y-Y-You've got to be kidding me…!" he rasped. Rin turned around to face Mayumi.

"No! No! No! No! No!" she stuttered, quickly shaking her head. "Not them! Not them! Not them!" The two men looked at Nadeshiko, who was a bit surprised herself.

"So, where is he?" Eustoma asked her. "Is he here right now?" Before she could answer, Forbessi found the person.

"Right there, with the green shirt underneath the uniform." He was pointing to a window seat. "Rin's right over there." All eyes in the room either fell on Rin Tsuchimi, or the two men approaching him. Around that time, Thomas was accelerating out of the street trackage, and was steaming nicely past the school towards the main yards. The fireman was stoking his boiler nicely, and Sakoto, with her hand on the throttle, was humming a little tune.

"La-di-de-da, da-di-da… La di-de da...la di-de da, du-!"

"What's that noise?" Thomas called out. Immediately, Sakoto stopped humming, and she signaled the fireman (who understood no English) to stop shoveling coal. Softly, over the puffing of Thomas's pistons, they could hear a peculiar conversation out of an open window of one of the classrooms.

"…don't understand, don't you? The best quality for a man to please a woman is his honesty, and it is clear that Rin expresses that to the highest degree!"

"You're out of your mind, Forbessi! Strength is needed, and Rin has enough of that to protect my daughter's cute-!"

"DAD?-!-?-!"

**!-!THWACK!-!**

**!-!CRASH!-!**

Thomas and his crew barely had time to register the scene, as a bluish-grey body smashed through the window, and flew straight into one of Thomas's cars. The car was loaded with sand, and the body cleared the sides of the car by mere inches.

"WOAH!-!" Thomas gasped. Sakoto quickly braked the train, which was nowhere near a stop when she jumped out of the cab. The car loaded with sand stopped right in front of her, and she scampered up the ladder, and looked inside the car. Eustoma was stuck feet first in the sand, and was very dazed and confused. A large bump was on his forehead.

"S-Sir! Are you alright?-!" Eustoma barely registered the panicked question.

"That Sia…I told her that hitting people with chairs is wrong…ugh…" While Sakoto and the fireman figured out a way to help Eustoma, back in the classroom, the boys were in silent joy, for the REAL transfer students had entered the room. They were silent because one had just used a folding chair as a baseball bat to her father's head.

"S-Sia, that was a little too far…" the other girl cautioned. Sia huffed.

"But Nerine! He was saying gross and embarrassing things about me!" Rin gasped.

'_I-It__'__s__the__girls__from__the__supermarket__and__the__park!__'_ he mentally gasped.

"I-I apologize for our behavior, Sia…" Forbessi said. "I-It was his idea to come-"

"IT'S BOTH OF YOUR FAULTS!-!"

"…y-yes, Sia…"

"Can we please have a formal introduction before this turns into some comedy manga?-!" Nadeshiko nervously ordered. The two girls gasped, then nodded. They walked up to the front of the room, with the folding chair left by Rin's desk. Forbessi stood behind the two. Just before they started, the door opened again, and Eustoma walked in, acting like he hadn't even been scratched.

"I told you, I'm fine!" He was arguing with Sakoto, who followed him into the room.

"You broke through a window, fell two stories, landed in a carload of sand…I'd say you're very lucky to even be alive!"

"Ah-HEM!-!" Nadeshiko's cough shut the two of them up, and started the formal introductions of the two new girls, a whole fifteen minutes late.

"My name's Lisianthus, from the world of the gods," the redhead spoke fist. "I kinda have a long name, so please call me Sia!"

"My name is Nerine, from the world of the devils," the bluenette said second. "If you'd like, please call me Rin." That caught Sakoto's attention.

"Rin, huh…" Forbessi noticed her interest, but Sakoto was gone before he could pursue her.

"My name is Eustoma, Sia's father, and also the King of the Gods!"

"I'm Forbessi, AKA the King of the Devils, and Nerine's father. An honor to meet you all."

"You didn't have to…" Nadeshiko groaned. It took a while for the class to register what the two men had just said.

"Mayumi," Rin started, "did they just say…?"

"I told you that there was going to be some hardships," she replied.

"And wouldn't have it been better for me to know that earlier?"

"No." Kaede raised her hand.

"U-um, Nadeshiko-sensei…I think they just said something that's hard to believe, but…are they really-?"

"Sadly, yes." Nadeshiko rolled her eyes, and rubbed her temples. "I'm having trouble coming to terms with this myself, but these two really are the Kings of the realms of the Gods and Devils. Itsuki, can you translate that for the rest of the class?"

"Yes, ma'am," the flirt replied. "I'll make sure that they'll be as happy as possible!" Nadeshiko groaned.

"I'm telling you to stay as far away from them as possible! They're the princesses of their respective worlds, so if anything bad happens to them, the punishment that I'll give you will be nothing to what the Kings will hand down!" Murmurs escaped the lips of the students at this.

"U-um, please don't bother with the fact that we're both the daughters of Kings," Sia asked the class.

"We just want to be treated like normal, everyday students," Nerine stated. "Not like famous pop stars."

"Ya got that, Itsuki?" Nadeshiko glared. Itsuki gave an emphasized thumbs-up back. "I don't know whether to be happy or afraid…Anyway, Rin, these girls will be left under your care."

"Huh? Why?" Forbessi placed his hands on Nerine and Sia's shoulders. Rin couldn't understand why the two girls were starting to blush.

"Let me explain this…" the King of the Devils spoke. "You were chosen as a candidate to be either Sia or Nerine's fiancée." It took a moment for the class to register the last statement. When the did…

"E-E-E-E-E-EH?-!-?-!-?-!"

"I-In other words," Itsuki exclaimed, practically screaming, "R-R-Rin's t-t-t-the-?-!"

"Right!" Eustoma cut in. "Rin will either be the next King of the Gods or the next King of the Devils. "Choose my Sia, Rin, and the world of the Gods is yours for the taking!"

"Hey, don't leave Nerine in the dust!" Forbessi complained. "If Rin chooses her, then he gets the world of the Devils!" While the two were arguing, Rin pinched his cheeks, making sure that he wasn't dreaming. Several boys wanted to do much more to him at the moment.

"Wait," he interrupted, holding his head in confusion, "I don't get it at all! How am I a marriage candidate for the kingships?-!"

"I don't blame you, Rin," Forbessi stated. "You were only a little boy, after all…"

"Huh?"

"Uh, father," Nerine quietly spoke, tugging her father's sleeve, "please don't talk about it…" But he did.

"I'll put it simply as this: eight years ago, you met both Sia and Nerine. It was only for one day, but they instantly fell in love with you, a love that for the last ten years has been growing inside their little hearts…as did Nerine's bust size."

"F-Father?-!"

"Hey!" Eustoma shouted. "While my Sia's breasts aren't as big as Nerine's, they're big in their own right! Why, I'm sure that someday, they'll be well over a double -!"

**!-!THWACK!-!**

"THAT'S ENOUGH, DAD!-!" Sia ordered, holding the now-bloody folding chair. "Just go home! You've made Rin as red as a tomato! Out!"

"But Sia! I was only trying to market-!"

"I can do that fine on my own!"

"…Yes…" A dejected Eustoma walked out of the classroom. Forbessi followed, but he stopped at the doorway, and turned around.

"If you remember anything or have any other questions, Rin, just ask the girls themselves. They'll be glad to help. And once again, please take good care of Nerine and Sia for us." With that, both men of royalty left the classroom. The classroom was in a state of shock, and all eyes were on Rin, save for Kaede's. She had passed out in her chair a long time ago.

"K-KAEDE?-! Get ahold of yourself!-!" Mayumi's frantic cries could be heard outside of the school on the street. People stopped and stared at the noise coming from the busted window, before shrugging it off and continuing on with their daily lives. Thomas tried to listen to what was happening behind him, as the fireman oiled him up for the rest of the day's work.

'_If__only__these__rails__were__a__little__closer,_' he thought. '_All__I__heard__was__whatever__was__yelled__out__of__the__room__…__which__was__a__lot,__actually._' Just then, Sakoto came out of the building.

"You're not going to believe what I just heard!" she cried, and explained to Thomas what she had seen in the classroom.

"Bust my buffers!" Thomas exclaimed. "Two princesses, here in Rin's class?-!"

"It's true!" Sakoto stated. "What's more, the one girl, Nerine, said to everyone that she prefers the name Rin! Maybe Primula's not looking for Rin, but actually NeRINe!"

"We've got to get them to meet right away!" Thomas told her. Sakoto shook her head.

"It's too soon now. Let's let her settle in to school life for a day before dumping something else on her lap. Besides, we've got rain in the forecast tomorrow, so there's a better chance that she's not doing something when we ask her."

"But the places for them to meet will be limited as well."

"Don't worry. There's one place that I know will be popular with anyone on two feet!" They set off again. Right in front of the Academy was a junction. The straight line, which Thomas had taken the previous days, runs to the main yard and the sheds. The diverging line turns south and slightly towards Rin's house. It heads to the north end of the yard as well, but it runs by the docks and industries that surround the yard. Thomas took the diverging line, and within a few blocks, arrived at Sunlight Way.

Sunlight Way is a pedestrian shopping district in the Kawasaki ward. Its proximity to the National Veranda Academy means that it is a popular place for people to hang out after the day's classes are finished. The street was built on an old railroad grade, and the Kanto Railway has a warehouse that serves the businesses of the shopping area in exchange for the new right-of-way to be built through the middle of Sunlight Way. As Thomas chuffed down the railway median, Sakoto stopped him at around the halfway point.

"There!" she pointed. "To your left!" Thomas looked. There, with its bright noises and colorful lights, was an arcade. "Arcades like this one are always popular with the young folks. We can even combine this with a trip for Primula, so that she won't suspect anything, while you pick up that Nerine and bring her here. I'll call Mr. Soroi when we finish our work and toss the idea to him." Thomas wasn't so sure.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked. "There are so many things that could go wrong with that plan."

"Not when I'm going to be the one who'll be watching her every movement," Sakoto told him, as they resumed their journey. A little while later, they were heading the other way down the line with another train, when they saw two girls wearing National Veranda Academy uniforms waving him down by the academy. The two girls were Sia and Nerine. Thomas noticed that Rin and Kaede were standing nearby, with faces that showed not as much energy as the former pair.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Sakoto asked as she hopped out of the cab. "And who are – wait, you're the Sia and Nerine who came into Rin and Kaede's class today!"

"And you're the one who brought back my father when I had to discipline him!" Sia replied, earning her nervous glances from everybody. Thomas broke the awkward silence.

"That man was nutso!" he complained. "I hear him out the window talking about someone's bust, and then he decides to play Tiger Moth and fly into my train! Honestly, if there were fewer of his type around, then-!"

"Then what, Thomas?" a voice asked. It belonged to Eustoma, who, along with Forbessi, was walking up beside the tank engine.

"I-I-I was merely talking about my friend James," Thomas covered. "He is a rather boastful engine on the Island of Sodor, after all. Anyway, how do you know my name?"

"We do have to know the backgrounds of anyone associated with our daughter's fiancé," Forbessi explained calmly, "even if he only knew them for a few days." Thomas and Sakoto's faces weren't calm after hearing this.

"Woah, slow down!" Sakoto stated. "Who's a fiancé here?"

"Did we miss something important?" Thomas wondered.

"Kinda…" Kaede admitted. She and Rin explained the boy's plight.

"Cinders and Ashes!" Thomas exclaimed. "Engaged?-! To royalty?-! That's comparable to Gordon and his brother Flying Scotsman!"

"Yeah," Rin muttered. "Except for us humans, it's a lot harder when you know someone famous…"

"So anyway," Sakoto spoke up, "what did you want to tell us earlier?"

"We were wondering if you could give all six of us a ride home!" Sia asked.

"All six of you?" Sakoto repeated in surprise. Sia and Nerine nodded, and Sakoto was just about to answer, when Thomas chimed in.

"No way! I could fit two of you inside my cab, but the rest would have to go on the pilot, and I wouldn't be able to go fast! Besides, Eustoma owes me for delaying my train earlier!" Sakoto noticed the King of the God's expression, and quickly spoke up.

"Don't mind him! We'll be happy to take you, as long as they're close by the line."

"We actually live not that far from Rin's house," Forbessi admitted, "so we'll get off when you stop for them." Sakoto went over to Thomas.

"Why did you agree to it?-!" he whispered crossly.

"If looks could kill," she said to him, "then Eustoma just put two holes straight through your firebox before. I'm not sure how you act with the British royalty such as Dukes and Queens, but for the rulers of other worlds, if you anger them, you get jailed. Or, in your case, get lifted off the rails." Thomas didn't need to reply to that. He reluctantly allowed the six to travel with him, with Rin and Kaede climbing into his cab, and the other four standing on his footplate.

"This is almost like that one business trip to India," Forbessi remarked.

"Quite right," Eustoma agreed. He was directly in front of Thomas. He stood up. "All right! Full steam ahead!"

"Down in front!" Thomas ordered. "I can't see the line ahead!" Eustoma sat down, and Thomas began his journey. When they reached Kaede's house, everyone got out.

"Thank god…" Thomas sighed.

"You're welcome!" Eustoma chimed. "It was a lovely ride, for sure! Anyway, our house is the one over there." He pointed to the Magic House that was oriental-themed.

"And I live over there with Nerine." Forbessi pointed to the western-styled Magic House. The denizens of the human world gasped.

"Don't tell me that you two are the owners of the Magic Houses?-!" Sakoto asked.

"Since you already know, I don't have to," Forbessi replied slyly.

"Isn't it great, Rin!" Sia burst out. "We live right next door to you guys now!"

"Same here…" Nerine agreed.

"We'll have a housewarming party tonight, Rin!" Eustoma said to the boy. "Be sure to come with Kaede!"

"_H-Hai_…!" he shakily replied. Sakoto placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, what a turn of events this was, eh, Thomas?" But Thomas wasn't listening. Instead, his eyes were locked on Nerine. I think we all know Thomas's reason for this, right?

* * *

><p><strong>Homecoming<strong>

It was the morning of the fourth day of Thomas's unexpected visit to the exotic city of Tokyo. It had been raining hard all night, and now the ground surrounding the enginehouse was moist, with deep puddles covering some of the tracks.

"So this is the rainy season…" Thomas mused.

"Unlike your environment in Sodor, the Japanese environment is relatively dry for most of the summer here," Kayio told him. "However, around this time every year, it constantly rains for one month. It takes a lot of sand for us to get the trains rolling. I heard that it's supposed to rain even more later today."

"I hope for your sake that your date with Primula isn't a washout," Aiko sneered.

"I'm not doing it for my sake!" Thomas huffed. "It's to get Primula with a possible Rin! We've got to act quickly to find 'Rin' before we have to give her up to an orphanage or a similar organization."

"Quite right, Thomas!" a voice spoke. It was Mr. Soroi, but the engines were surprised to see that he was wearing the uniform of a railway worker.

"Sir!" The engines gasped.

"Good morning, my engines! We need everybody at the docks today. There's a large amount of coal needed for the steelworks on the other side of the bay, and the National Railway wants us to help with a Shinkansen extension to the Narita Airport along one of our lines, so we need everyone to take hoppers to the docks and the Narita Line." He turned to Thomas. "Since you can't pull as many cars as Aiko and Kayio, Thomas, I've asked the Works to send Wilbert over to aid you." Almost on cue, the engines could hear Wilbert's whistle in the near distance.

"That doesn't explain why you're in the uniform of my driver," Aiko noted.

"Sakoto's with Primula today," Thomas explained, "so I needed another driver who could speak to me in English…"

"…And since Sakoto is the only one who can other than me," Mr. Soroi finished, "then I volunteered to be Thomas's driver."

"Favoritism!" Aiko criedto herself. "He's never driven me before!"

"Calm down, Aiko!" Kayio soothed to her fellow engine. "He has no favorites out of any of us, and Thomas is borrowed anyway. There will be a time when he must leave."

"Humph!" Luckily for Aiko, Wilbert had arrived, and was the current center of Mr. Soroi's attention.

"Right on time, Wilbert," he said. "That's a good engine! You'll be working with Thomas for today."

"Yes, sir!" Wilbert replied. He then whispered to Thomas. "Mr. Soroi's asked me to help you with the plan. He explained everything to me." Mr. Soroi climbed into Thomas's cab.

"How was Primula, sir?" Thomas asked. He heard an audible sigh from his cab.

"I'm not sure if she was happy, mad, sad, or upset," Mr. Soroi grumbled. "All she talked about was Rin and whether Rin would be at Disneyland. I just hope that the plan has more luck than I had…"

'So do I," said Thomas, with a hint of wavering confidence. With that, the engines left the sheds one by one, collected their cars, and set off for work. At some times, Thomas and Wilbert worked with Kayio in hauling coal across the bay, while Aiko loaded rubble and other debris from grading the line, and brought them back to the docks. Other times, Thomas and Wilbert took the debris trains alone, leaving the Japanese engines to haul the coal. Whatever the combination, the engines worked hard, and got the job done in record time.

In the National Verbena Academy, Rin was having a hard time completing class. Word had spread quickly that Sia and Nerine were princesses, and that Rin was their fiancée-to-be. Combined with the fact that he lived with Kaede alone in the same house while Kaede's father was away only furthered the rage that was building up in the boys population. At the present moment, Rin was hiding underneath a staircase, as dozens of boys ran up and down in search of him. A box covered up his front, so that someone passing by the bottom of the staircase couldn't see him.

"Find that Tsuchimi bastard!" one boy ordered. "He's the bane of the entire school!"

"Having one goddess of the school was enough!" another grumbled. "But now three of them…!"

"It's a monopoly, what Rin has!" a third boy stated. "It's not fair to the rest of us!" Precious seconds passed by, along with half of Rin's life. At last, the noise of the heavy footsteps and rough voices vanished, replaced by the light footsteps and bright voice of his savior at the moment:

"All clear," Mayumi whispered, as she removed the box out of the way. Rin got up, out of the stairwell.

"When you said that there would be trouble ahead," he groaned, "I didn't imagine this. Couldn't you have at least warned me?" Mayumi stuck her tongue out playfully.

"And spoil the fun? No way! Besides, this is your mess, not mine. Don't you remember anything about either of them?"

"I can't remember something that happened only once, especially as a child." Mayumi sighed.

"I guess childhood memories are really vague…I don't know much about Sia. Asa's friend Kareha's the better expert on her. However, I do have a few connections that know a thing or two about Nerine."

"Right, because you're a half-devil born when your mother fell into the realm of the Devils before Kamion."

"I don't live in the world of the Devils anymore, so I have very common and limited information, but she's obviously gorgeous. She has a quiet and elegant personality, and can be really devoted to a man. For example, many men in the world of the Devils have proposed to her, but she's turned all of them down. And now we know why."

"Don't remind me." Mayumi giggled.

"Don't be so shy about it. She was very sick in her childhood, so she was rarely seen outside."

"Really? She looks to be in perfect health now."

"She participated in the experiment that will determine the fate of the other worlds, so that might have factored something into that…and no, she isn't a robot. The worlds of Devils and Gods may be magically advanced, but they're technologically backwards."

"Yeah, thank you for that info…"

"There are a few other episodes about her, but I think here best characteristic is her singing voice." Rin was surprised.

"Does she defeat enemies by making a scary voice or something?" Mayumi was shocked.

"You expect THAT from HER?" Rin blinked.

"…I didn't want to see that from her, that's all"

"It's the complete opposite! Her beautiful voice sounds like an elegant fairy! In the world of the Devils, it's even considered to be a national treasure called 'The Angel's Bell.'"

"Kinda ironic, considering that she's a Devil."

"It's only based on what I've heard from others. I haven't heard it in person. Anyway, that's all I know about her. If you want more, either ask her directly, or try and remember something."

"Thanks, Mayumi." Rin began to head up the stairs.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"The second floor," he replied. "I want to ask Kareha about Sia."

"Be careful!" Mayumi called to him as he went up the stairs. It wasn't long before Rin was opening the door to class 3-B, Asa and Kareha's homeroom.

"Hey, Asa!" Rin called. "Is Kareha here?" Before he could get an answer, the rest of the class glared at him, prompting the boy to abruptly leave the class. "Sorry for interrupting…I don't remember doing anything to them…" Just then, Asa walked out of the classroom, along with a beautiful god with long blond hair.

"You should remember what position you're in now, Rin," Asa reminded him.

"You are now the most famous person in the whole school!" the other girl added.

"Even the seniors know?" Rin asked.

"Not just the seniors," Asa corrected. "The entire Academy knows about your fairytale."

"That's if you're looking at it from the outside perspective…"

"Don't tell me you're in a tragedy, Rin!" the other girl gasped.

"You saw what I just went through, Kareha."

"Hahaha…"

"Well, I understand the other guys a bit," Asa sympathized. "You already live with Kaede, the school idol, after all."

"Since there was no chance to ask Kaede as long as that condition remained," Kareha continued, "the boys had their hopes up with the two transfers, only to find out that they already liked you. Even we're a bit jealous."

"I seriously don't remember a thing, though," Rin replied. "I do sort of remember meeting strange girls when I was little, but I can't even remember what happened, let alone who they were…I just can't accept being their fiancé like this…"

"So you don't remember anything that would lead the two to make you their fiancé, huh?" Asa surmised. Rin nodded.

"That's why I want to know more about Lisianthus. You're from the world of the Gods, right Kareha? Do you know something about her?"

"About Sia?" she asked. "I do know a few things…"

"…"

"…"

"…!" Rin and Asa suddenly realized that the boy had just stepped on a landmine.

"Oh, my!" Kareha exclaimed. "Since you came all the way here to ask me about Sia, does that mean you have feelings for her?"

"Er, no!" Rin tried to cover. "I was just interested, since I just finished talking to Mayumi about-!"

"MY MY MY!" Kareha's eyes suddenly held a certain twinkle, and she seemed to be surrounded by a joyful aura. Her cheeks became as red as a cherry. "You're interested in her! You are both in love with each other…! Oh my…!"

"We've lost her…" Asa groaned. She had seen this before. "If it wasn't for this, she would be up there with Kaede, Nerine, and Sia…" Kareha's delusion also attracted some unwanted attention.

"There he is!"

"Get that Tsuchimi!"

"We need to teach him a lesson in sharing!"

"Crap!" Rin cursed.

"Better get a move on, Rin!" Asa encouraged. "Kareha might come to her senses tomorrow, so keep living until then!"

"I'm not laughing!" Rin snapped, as he ran away from the stream of boys that once again chased him. This continued all throughout the school day, in some matter and form, until the end of school. At that time, Nerine, Kaede, and Sia had agreed to walk home together. They had just started their journey when Thomas, doubleheading with Wilbert on an empty debris train from the transfer yard, bustled in.

"Good afternoon, my friends!" he peeped.

"_Konichiwa_, Thomas!" Kaede replied. She then noticed Wilbert and Mr. Soroi. "Who's that engine behind you? And who's you're new driver?"

"The engine's Wilbert, a friend of mine who normally lives in the Forest of Dean back in England. And Sakoto's, ah, busy, so a relief man was called in. At least he knows a bit of English."

"How do you do?" Mr. Soroi asked. "My name's Mr. Soroi. You three must be Kaede, Sia, and Nerine, correct?"

"That's right!" Sia answered. "Thomas must be talking about us a lot."

"Indeed. By the way, isn't there a person known as Rin that hangs around you? Where is he?"

"He left early," Nerine clarified. "The boys were jealous about his relations with us, so they tried to hunt him down. Rin had to head through Sunlight Way at least twice today to lose the mobs. I don't get it at all…"

"When you become as old as me," Thomas advised, "and know the hearts of many a driver inside and out, you'll understand what others call jealous love. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something, Nerine. Do you know a person that goes by the name of Primula?"

"Huh?" Kaede asked in confusion. "Do you mean the flower?" Nerine and Sia, meanwhile, tensed up.

"Does she have purple hair and carry a stuffed cat with her?" she asked. Thomas's faced lit up, oblivious to the current situation.

"So you do know her! That will make things much easier when you two meet!" Nerine gasped, and Sia covered her mouth.

"I-Is something wrong, ladies?" Mr. Soroi asked.

"Yes," Nerine replied, "If we don't do something soon. Take me to see her right away!"

"Me too!" Sia piped up, and hurried after her, Leaving Kaede all alone.

"Eh?" she peeped. "Weren't we going to walk home together?" Nerine was climbing into Thomas's cab, while Sia went up into Wilbert's."

"There's no time for that!" Nerine told her. "Go home and tell our fathers about this. Make sure they stay there." Before Kaede could answer, Thomas and Wilbert puffed away. They placed their train in a siding, and set off for Sunlight Way. It started to rain as they chuffed down the line. Fortunately for Rin and Itsuki, who were in the same area, they both had umbrellas in their possession, and so they walked down Sunlight Way, unaffected by the light drizzle.

"Man, can't the guys know some sort of moderation?" Rin groaned. "Glaring at me is one thing, but coming at me with a bat is another!"

"You're one to talk about moderation," Itsuki grumbled. "You already have Kaede, and now you-!"

"-have Sia and Nerine too, I know already! It's not like I threw myself in this situation on purpose." They passed by the arcade. "How about you get together with the other guys, and go on a massive girl-pickup spree? With your skills, it should be no problem, right?"

"You're going at this backwards," Itsuki disagreed. "We need to find YOU a different girlfriend so that we can have a shot at your three." He began scanning the arcade. "Let's see…how about…her. She's a little young, but I predict a beauty in five years or so."

The person in question was Primula. She was looking at a claw machine that was filled with cat toys. She appeared to be trying to operate the machine, but without money, that would never happen.

"And why should I let you pick for me?" Rin groaned. "Oh wait, because you'll do it anyway. I'm not even going to bother…" Itsuki patted him on the back.

"So hurry up and introduce yourself to her already, Mr. Lolitaphile!" Rin quickly changed his tune.

"There's a time when a man must stand up for himself and fight…" Itsuki backed off.

"Oh, come on, now! Why so serious, Rin? Let's loosen up those fists, and-eh?" He stopped mid-sentence. "I take back what I said before, Rin. I guess you don't even need to talk to girls to pick them up."

"Huh?" Even as Rin was answering, he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down, and saw Primula grabbing his shirt with one hand.

"…" Primula had no expression on her face.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Rin…" Primula finally spoke, with the voice of an angelic robot. It was as beautiful as Nerine's 'Angel's Bell,' but as monotone as black. "…Rin…?"

"Yes, my name is Rin, but I think you mixed me up for someone else."

"…Do you know…Nerine…?"

"Wow," Itsuki whistled. "I didn't imagine that your fiancée's name would travel this fast, Rin."

"You'll travel faster unless you-?-!" Before Rin could finish, Primula surprised them both, and jumped into Rin's arms.

"Huh?-!" Itsuki jumped.

"I finally found you…Rin…I finally found you…" Even in this emotional outburst, her face and voice were as plain as before.

"What do you mean, you finally found me?" Rin asked. Itsuki cleaned his glasses.

"Rin, no matter what your preference is, I'll stick by you as a friend."

"Don't say something that will lead to a misunderstanding!"

"PEEP! PEEP! Don't move anywhere, Rin!" The three turned in time to see Thomas and Wilbert race towards them, stopping right in front of the arcade. Nerine and Sia hopped out of the cabs, and joined in everyone's surprise in seeing…"

"Primula!" Nerine gasped. "What are you doing here?-!"

"And why are you hugging Rin?" Sia asked. Wilbert laughed.

"Looks like you skipped over the right answer, Thomas!" he stated.

"Yes," Mr. Soroi said, "but where's our supervisor?" A tingle from the bell of a café told them the answer. Sakoto stepped out, her hands full of take-out bags.

"I hope Primula likes these," she said to herself. "As do Mr. Soroi and maybe even Thomas's friends." She then noticed the scene before her. "What happened? Did the plan work when I was away?"

"Sort of…" Thomas admitted.

"What plan?" Sia asked in confusion.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag…" Mr. Soroi groaned. "But let's head back to your places before we explain. I have a feeling that we'll be doing a lot of that tonight."

It had stopped raining when they returned, so everyone, who included Rin, Kaede, Itsuki, Sia, Nerine, Eustoma, Forbessi, Sakoto, and Mr. Soroi, decided to have the meeting outside, so as to include the two engines. Wilbert was turned around so that he faced Thomas, and chairs were set up between them for everyone to sit. Kaede passed out iced tea, while Sakoto gave everyone cheesecakes that she ordered at the café.

"So," Forbessi started, "tell us everything that you did with Primula." Thomas and Sakoto began to tell everyone how they first encountered Primula, from the first meeting at the yards, to Thomas's rescue out of the river. Mr. Soroi then told everyone the vain attempts to have her open up and have some fun, as well as Sakoto's plan. Finally, it was Forbessi's turn to speak. He stood up, commanding everyone's undivided attention.

"Primula is a Homunculus," he said.

"A what?" Wilbert asked.

"An artificial life form," Eustoma explained. "Primula was created as part of a joint project between the worlds of the Gods and Devils."

"Primula has extraordinary power," Forbessi continued. "We can't control it, so there's no telling what it would do. If she has an accidental discharge of magical energy, Tokyo would be out one prefecture."

"A-A walking nuclear bomb...!" Rin gasped.

"But a clean one that won't emit radiation," Forbessi replied.

"You certainly make this sound all lovey-dovey when we could all be killed literally any second now," Itsuki mumbled.

"When you're in our line of work," Eustoma told him, "you understand that you need to take a few serious risks as if they were nothing."

"That explains a lot, actually," Sakoto said to herself.

"But why a homouncul….an artificial life form?" Thomas asked. "Why not a living person?"

"We tried with a living person at the onset," Forbessi admitted, "but the body couldn't contain the immense power that we required. We then tried cloning, which at the beginning, gave us favorambl results. However, like the previous experiment, she too was regrettably finished before her time." No one had to ask what 'too soon' meant.

"Primula is the youngest of the three. She doesn't like to interact with others, save Nerine for some reason. Think of Primula as Nerine's little sister." Everyone tried to invision the walking bomb that was now eating cake with a blank expression as just that.

"But why did Primula come here?" Kaede asked.

"I think Forbessi isn't the expert on that," Mr. Soroi said. The King of the Devils nodded.

"Primula?" The girl put down her cake, and shifted her chair closer to her neighbor, Rin. She still had no expression on her face.

"…I came here to see Rin…" she said softly. "…I wanted to see…what he was like…I heard…so much about him…"

"Rimu…" Nerine sighed.

"What are we to do?" Sia spoke up. Forbessi put a hand on his chin.

"We can't force her back to our world. She can live with us for a while, but eventually, she'll have to go back to the facility since our testing isn't over." Primula shook her head.

"I'm going to live with Rin," she declared. It was the first time everyone had heard her speak with such authority.

"Huh?" Thomas and Wilbert mouthed.

"What?" Rin asked, surprised at the statement.

"I want to stay her," Primula continued. "Rin is here…"

"Primula…" Sia sighed. Forbessi pondered this for a few seconds. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Hey," Thomas finally cut in. "If you say that she's like Nerine's sister, shouldn't you, as her 'father' accept her wish? It's not like there's a fifty percent chance of the worst-case scenario happening."

"Even if we bring her back to the facility in chains and a straightjacket," Eustoma added, "we'll probably see her back here the very next day."

"Besides," Mr. Soroi finished, "it's not like she'll be alone. She has you, me, Rin, Kaede, Nerine, Thomas, Wilbert, Itsuki, and everyone else watching her."

"I'm not sure that last one's a good idea, though," Rin cautioned.

"There's a time and place for that," Itsuki sighed. Forbessi chuckled.

"I guess you're all right,' he sighed. He then looked at Rin. "How about a cute pet, Rin? She can't do tricks, but she's toilet traind, and she doubles as a cuddly pillow."

"Hey, I'm a freeloader in this house," Rin said, looking at Kaede for help.

"I'm fine as long as you're okay with it, she answered.

"Alright." Rin turned back to Forbessi. "We'll be glad to help Primula, would you like to live with us?"

"I'd like to, Rin…" Primula still had no expression, but her voice sounded a bit brighter. Nerine, Sia, and Sakoto were very happy to hear this.

"Yay!" they cheered. Thomas and Wilbert also piped in with their whistles.

"Now that's done," Eustoma declared, we can PAR-TAY!-!"

"Yes!" Forbessi added. "A welcome home party for Primula!"

"I've got the booze-!"

**!-!THWACK!-!** Sia took another chair to her father.

"DAD!-!" she yelled. "Stop trying to corrupt Rin!" Everyone laughed. Wilbert looked at Thomas.

"So I heard that you didn't want to travel when you first came here, Thomas," he noted. "What do you think of your journey now?" Thomas didn't hesitate with his answer.

"I wouldn't change my memory for the world!" he told his friend. "Japan's growing on me just as if it was my branchline back on Sodor." Primula walked up to Thomas.

"Thank you, Thomas…" she said, again with no emotion. "You found me…Rin…"

"It's my pleasure," he answered. "Engine or human, I can't just leave them out in the cold."

"Three cheers for Thomas!" Sakoto called.

"HIP-HIP-HOORAY !"

"HIP-HIP-HOORAY!"

"HIP-HIP-HOORAY!"

Everyone clapped and cheered for the famous engine of the Island of Sodor who was cuttently stationed in Japan, Thomas the Tank Engine.

* * *

><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_I know the first book title is the same as **ThomasZoey3000**'s, but it made the most sense._

_Allusions to Railway Series Shuffle!: Mr. Soroi is based on the Man in the Suit. In Japanese, soroi literally means suit. Also, Aiko and Kayio are based partially off of the original and redone versions of Courtney, respectively._

_Sakoto is based of a downloadable Trainz Railway Simulator driver that was created by Keimei._

_Aiko is a JNR D55 4-6-2 Pacific, based off a prototype that ran in the Hoddakio region of Japan._

_Kayio is a JNR Class 9600 2-8-0 Consolidation, based off of a prototype that worked in the Yonezawa region of Japan._

_The particular volcanic eruption affected flights to and from Europe from April 5-10 2010. Some were cancelled for longer periods._

_Some translations have them as Devils. Others have them as Demons. For this, I prefer devils. It's a better name contrast to Gods anyway._

_To date, this is my longest single chapter. I seriously doubt that any other chapter will be anywhere close to this. I just needed to get some necessary information out of the way, since the Visual Novel's contents aren't as common as the anime or partial manga translation._

_Thomas is happy that he's in Tokyo with his new friends. But are the other engines on Sodor happy that he's not helping them? Will Aiko learn to trust the English visitor? And will Primula ever smile? All that and more next time, so R and R, please! And support my other works as well!_


	2. Thomas and the Demons

_Well, after reassessing my (now hectic) life, and curbing the broad extent of my Fanfiction goals, I'm still left with the JRS being one of my high points on my to-do list. We can now finish up Thomas's escapades in the city that sleeps a lot less than the one that doesn't. You'll find a lot of new and interesting mixes on Thomas's way back to Sodor, so I'll step back and let you enjoy the stories!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Japanese Railway Series<strong>_

**Book Two: Thomas and the Demons**

**Dear Friends,**

**I promised in my last book that I would share with you more of Thomas's adventures while he was in Tokyo. Oddly enough, those stories centered around characters that acted like, or literally were, demons. From Nerine to Primula, the Electric Railway to Aiko, and even a few other surprising figures, Thomas found out just how many demons he knew…and which ones he should trust and care the most.**

**The Author**

_**Stories Included:**_

**Bright Spark**

**More about the Verbena Academy Princesses**

**Aiko and the Troublesome Trucks**

**Thomas, Primula, and Lycoris**

* * *

><p><strong>Bright Spark<strong>

Thomas the Tank Engine was enjoying his stay on the Kanto Railway in Tokyo. The engines were (mostly) nice, the cars were friendly, and the workload was steady. Most importantly, he was able to make friends amongst the wards of the city. Every morning, Thomas looks forward to the morning train which runs past the National Verbena Academy, where Rin, Kaede, and their friends go to school.

"PEEP! PEEP! Good morning, my friends!" Thomas called out.

"_Konichiwa_, Thomas!" at least one of them called back. Sometimes he would meet them at the Academy, other times at the Sunlight Way business district. Occasionally, he would even take them to school from their lineside houses. Speaking of those, there is a girl with purple hair that Thomas likes to meet their as well.

"PEEP! PEEP! Hello, Primula!"

"…good afternoon, Thomas…" Primula always came out to the door to say hello, but never said anything else, nor did she smile.

"Hey! We'd like a friendly greeting to, ya know!" Thomas never paid any heed to Eustoma, the King of the Gods, or Forbessi, the King of the Demons, and puffed away. By now, Thomas had gotten used to the fact that there were Gods and Demons in the world. What he hadn't gotten used to, however, was his prolonged absence from his branchline. It was so lonely without Annie and Clarabel accompanying him on his runs.

One morning, just before it was time to go to work, Mr. Soroi had some good news for Thomas.

"The volcano in Europe has finally settled down. In about a week's end, my engine will arrive here at Tokyo, and you, Thomas, will be going back home."

"You here that, Yankee?" Aiko sneered. "You can go back to your unpopulated branchline with cardboard coaches and rickety old freight cars now!" Thomas became cross.

"I can handle being called a Yankee, but bringing Annie and Clarabel into this is uncalled for! My coaches can do much more than modern stock on any day!"

"You even name your cattle stock? No wonder you Yankees lost steam so soon!"

"Cattle stock?-!"

"Easy, you two!" Kayio urged. "Try not to fight in front of Mr. Soroi! You're acting just like the commuter line's EMUs!" Thomas was confused.

"EMU? What's that? Some sort of an animal, no doubt." Mr. Soroi chuckled.

"Yes and no. What Kayio is talking about are Electrical Multiple Unit coaches. They replaced the locomotive-hauled trains on the main routes, but on the railway where we run on, they have been the norm for all of time."

"EMUs," Kayio continued, "are very haughty prima donnas. I remember back in '71, just before I was retired, the National Railway was replacing all passenger service on the electrified lines with EMUs. They were clean freaks, and wouldn't even socialize with diesels, let alone steam engines. They said that we were all pollutants, and should be all melted down and turned into track or more EMUs."

"We have to always make way for the EMUs," Aiko added. "One last week told me that I was a tea kettle pulling a bento lunch, and that I should find the nearest cafeteria." Thomas was baffled by the strength of the accusations.

"Even Daisy didn't flaunt her superiority to that degree," he muttered, "and she's a diesel railcar." Mr. Soroi coughed, bringing everyone back to his attention.

"Anyway, I have important news regarding traffic levels. Starting today, we now service a couple of new customers on the lower commuter lines. One manufactures commuter coaches and electric railcars that are shipped to cities around the world, and the other unloads chemicals and oil from ships for delivery inland. Thomas, I want you to take the first train of railcars to the docks." Aiko was horrified.

"What?-! Why are you letting a Yankee visitor to start the service?-! It should be a Japanese engine that always delivers the first loads!"

"I appreciate your opinion, Aiko," Mr. Soroi addressed, "but this customer is the reason why I needed to obtain an engine from America. The sidings leading to those customers are sharp, and both you and Kayio are too long and rigid to negotiate those curves with consistent reliability, so I had to get a new one from elsewhere." Aiko kept silent, and looked away. Kayio had no interest in the subject whatsoever. "Thomas, a cut of tanker cars is waiting for you in the yard for you to take for loading. Hurry, now!"

Thomas hurried off to the yard to collect his train. It consisted of a brakevan on both ends and a string of eight tank cars. They backed onto the train, coupled it to Thomas, and set off for the industrial plant. The plant was located on the coastline, south of the yard complex, and away from the crowded city. Here, the landscape reminded Thomas of Duck's costal branchline. There were still many houses and businesses crowding the space, but there were rolling hills, a large seaport paralleling the coast, and scores of tunnels which dotted the hillsides.

"It's like we're no longer in Japan anymore," Thomas remarked.

"We're not all about high-rises and crowded streets," Sakoto laughed. "There is some natural beauty scattered here and there." They soon came to a station, which had a red signal. "Looks like there's a train ahead of us. We'll stop here to let it get ahead of us."

"It's times like this where I wished there was a third track on the line. Or at least crossover." As they stopped at the station, an EMU passenger train glided silently into the station, going the same way on the other track. Thomas decided to try and conduct some small chat with the train. "Peep! Peep! Hello!" Thomas hoped that the EMU was friendly, but I'm sorry to say that it was not the case.

"What's some inferior hunk of pollution doing soiling my rails?" it huffed. "Get on with you, scrapper's lot!" Thomas tried to be fair.

"Scrapper's lot? I believe you're mistaken. I'm here to take a train of your brothers to the harbor for export." The EMU grunted.

"Hum…They shouldn't have the disgrace of being pulled by sully steam trains. For that matter, this railway has no need for filthy freight traffic! That's why we banished them from the railway years ago. You locomotives have no use in this country!"

"What would be of your passengers if you have no power? My railway back home has an electric line, and we all needed to pitch in when the generator failed and the engines couldn't start. How about that, bright spark?" The EMU sniffed haughtily.

"We never run out of power; electricity is abundant everywhere here. There is never a time when we can't run, so long as we have our catenary. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a schedule to keep, unlike yourself." Before Thomas could retort, the EMU rolled away.

"What a horrid thing!" Thomas huffed. "I don't know how the passengers can be kept happy riding in a train like that!"

"We do things here a bit differently than on Sodor," Sakoto stated. "Here, taking a train is only a means to get to work. There's not too much class or personality with the equipment; just a standardization of commuter trains that can be mass-produced. The only time that the passengers talk is when there is a problem with the service. But we're not here for that. Let's get these cars delivered to their proper sidings." Thomas agreed, knowing that the time working would help get his mind off of the EMU. Eventually, they reached the industrial area, located in a rugged area beside the bay. The sidings made a return loop, running around a mountain before tunneling through the side, and crossing over at grade to reach the commuter equipment manufacturer. The tank cars were left to be loaded on a siding by the bay, and six bi-level coaches and four EMUs were collected for export. These coaches had only knuckle couplers, so a brakevan, which had both knuckles and chains, was placed as a spacer car just after Thomas.

"That was very gentle," the coaches remarked as Thomas gently backed up. "Not like how the little shunter used to shuffle us around the plant. Where did you learn such great manners?"

"The Island of Sodor. Any common engine should know that you should be gentle with the coaches, and most importantly, the passengers inside." Thomas pulled up to the junction to the mainline, just as the same EMU passed by in the other direction.

"That's right, you scrap pile!" the EMU jeered. "Stay on those dirty industrial sidings where you belong, and never come back!"

"I never thought I would desire the company of the trucks…" Thomas groaned. All electric trains have pantographs, which draw power from the overhead wires to power the train. The wires must be kept in constant tension; otherwise, a pantograph might snag onto it. That's just what happened as the EMU passed by Thomas. The right side sheared completely off, and crashed into Thomas's side tanks. Sakoto and the fireman jumped out of the other side of the cab in fear.

"YAIE!" Sakoto gasped. "That stuff's dangerous!"

"It zapps too!" Thomas added in shock. The EMU continued to the next station, but the pantograph snapped and broke off as he went along, sending electrical debris everywhere. Suddenly, there was a large flash and bang, and amoke billowed from the pantograph. The train shuddered to a halt at the station platform, lifeless and dead. Passengers clambered out of the train to see what had happened. The catenary on the section behind them was drooped lower, and bounced gleefuly in the wind, caring not that it had just immobilized the EMU set. Thomas couldn't help but to make fun of the situation.

"Well, well, well," he chuckled. "I guess someone's tripped up over their wheels. Or should I say wires?"

"Thomas!" Sakoto gasped. "You know better than to laugh at someone's near-death experiences! We're lucky it happened before the station. If it caught at a crowded platform, who knows what could have happened?" Thomas felt a bit more respectful.

"Right, I almost forgot about the passengers." The stationmaster walked over to them.

"We need you to push the passenger train to the works station at the least. The train can't draw power anymore, and there's no chance that another set can come with these wires freely loosened. We'l transfer the passengers to another train when we can."

"Do you think you can do it, Thomas?" Sakoto asked.

"I'll give it a good try," he assured her. "But what about our train? Can we pull both the dead EMU and our own weight?"

"We've already spoken to your superintendent, and he said he'll send another engine to collect your cars. Be quick, now!" They needed the brakevan to couple onto the EMU, so the train was uncoupled after that point. Thomas ran around the van, and then carefully puffed ahead, Sakoto cautiously looking out to make sure Thomas's funnel wouldn't get too close to the wires. He couple up to the rear of the EMU.

"It's lucky that this 'dirty engine' doesn't need the use of wires to operate; I wouldn't know what I'd do without my nice little bunker." The EMU looked shamefully at his wheels; he had nothing to say. The train was only five cars long, but it was packed to the brim with commuters, and was much heavier to push than Thomas thought.

"Come on! Come on-come on-come on!" Slowly but surely, the unusual-looking train puffed out of the station, and over the open line. It was hard work, and at times, Thomas thought that he was going to pull a cylinder or break a traction rod. Fortunately, the stops were close to each other, and with no power in the coaches, the conductor had to manually open and close the doors to let passengers off and on the train, giving Thomas time to rest his wheels for the next run. When this was done, Thomas was able to start again.

Halfway through his journey, he spotted Kayio puffing down the line in the other direction. She was heading to pick up Thomas's cars that he left behind. "Great job, Thomas! Keep up being a credit to our two railways!"

"Will do!" Thomas replied. It was all he could say, as he was quite out of breath; however, he was pleasantly surprised with her compliment. He found it nice that Kayio remembered that he wouldn't be on Japanese soil for much longer.

Eventually, they reached the EMU works station. Thomas stopped to unload all the passengers, then pulled ahead on the mainline to allow a new EMU set to back down and collect the passengers. While the EMU was loading, Thomas rolled backwards behind the points, and switched onto the sidings to shunt the dead EMU into an empty track. The replacement EMU gave a quick toot, and accelerated away down the line.

"Phew!" Thomas sighed wearily. "I'm glad that's over. I didn't know that passengers could be stuffed into a train like that!"

"It's the norm here," Sakoto told him. "Now let's get you back to the yard and have a nice drink." That night, Mr. Soroi congratulated Thomas on a job well done.

"A fine piece of ingenuity, Thomas!" He said. "The director of the commuter lines said that there would've been an awkward situation for him if he had to cancel the train, but you were able to stay only ten minutes behind schedule."

"So I prevented confusion and serious delay?" Mr. Soroi chuckled.

"In a sense, yes. But you also showed me that you have a sharp mind, even better than that, uh, 'bright spark' of an EMU." To this, even Aiko had to laugh.

"A lot better than being a blue birdbrain!" she chuckled.

"Hey!" Thomas pouted, before laughing some more. For once the two quarreling engines took the night in stride. Kayio noticed this with interest. Could her friend, perhaps, be changing her stance with the visitor from Sodor?

* * *

><p><strong>More about the <strong>Verbena Academy Princesses<strong>**

In a city as large as Tokyo, garbage removal is a real problem. Large amounts of trash need to be moved as quickly as possible, before returning to the source in order to pick up more of the noxious substance. Recently, to help alleviate the growing piles of trash, Mr. Soroi struck a deal with several businesses, industries, and municipalities along the Kanto Railway. Garbage is loaded into containers, which are taken to the harbor or the transfer yard to be sent to incinerators across the country. It's not the most important or glamorous job…

"'…bet semeone's got te do it.' That's what Donald or Douglas would say about this job, especially since they help Whiff in similar duties on Sodor." Thomas was assigned to garbage duty today after his usual transfer run. Aiko, who was nearby, couldn't care less about the job.

"Huh!" the Japanese engine huffed. "I still don't see why you are so eager to take this run. All you gave me was a huge bunch of smelly Yankee rubbish!"

"The only rubbish that'll be here will be on the train," Thomas corrected. "A job's a job, and I can't argue with that. Plus, at least it isn't fish. THAT'S the real stench." Thomas then left the yards to start his transfer run before he could hear Aoki's reply.

"What a horrid busybot!" she muttered. "…though he does have a point…"

The journey to the transfer yard was uneventful, and Thomas was quickly chuffing back to the main yard. When he approached Rin's house, however, he could see Rin waiving at him to stop. Next to him were Kaede, Nerine, and Sia, as well as the two Kings, who were staring each other down. Nerine was trying to get the two to stop from doing something.

"What's up?" Sakoto asked.

"Do you mind if you give us a ride to school?" Rin asked. Sakoto blinked.

"Don't you remember what I said a few days ago? Thomas's cab can't fit all of you in here."

"I know. But Eustoma and Forbessi -"

"PAPA!-!"

"…both papas…are convinced that delinquents are some type of criminal organization, and won't let us go without an escort. Then, they got into an argument between who should provide the bodyguards, and well…" Thomas saw a small ball of energy between the two kings.

"What's that green light?" he asked.

"That's magic," Sakoto said warily. "It may look small, but it's very powerful. Which begs the question…how powerful are those two?" Sia nervously chuckled.

"W-Well…the last time they fought…two uninhabited cities in the World of the Demons disappeared." Every human and Thomas gasped.

"T-T-THEY MADE THEM DISSAPEAR?-!-?-!" Kaede exclaimed. "A-Are they going to drop Armageddon right here in Tokyo?-!"

"Not over my scrapped frame!" Thomas stated. "We'll be happy to take you to school."

"Here that, papas?" Rin called. "Thomas and Sakoto are willing to escort us. There's no need to call in the troops!" Eustoma and Forbessi looked over in their direction.

"Oh, hi Thomas!" Forbessi called over. "You're looking nice and shiny today!"

"Konichiwa, Sakoto!" Eustoma waved. "You look like 85 points with your hair like that! Although your bosom is no match for that of my rapidly growing Sia's -!"

**!SMACK!**

**!CRASH!**

"D-DAD?-! THAT'S GROSS!" Sia somehow had pulled out what Thomas was quickly considering her trademark – a folding chair – from somewhere he had no idea. Everyone stared blankly at her, with Nerine walking to the side of her friend.

"U-Um, Sia? Do you think that may have been going a bit overboard?" Sia nervously laughed, her embarrassment a complete turnaround from a moment ago. Soon, the four were on Thomas's pilot, and were slowly chuffing down the street towards the Academy.

"Are those two always like that?" Thomas asked the two princesses. Sia grumbled.

"Sadly, yes. You're lucky that we aren't back in the World of the Gods. Dad used to always tout me as the next Playboy girl…whatever a Playboy girl is, but I know that it isn't a clean-minded thing!"

"Be glad you don't," Rin said. "And stay away from Itsuki if you want to keep it that way."

"It's the same with papa," Nerine added quietly. "He dotes on me so much that he can make any situation become one of my most embarrassing moments."

"They only care about you two so much," Kaede reasoned. "You are their only children, and they wouldn't want to see you two get hurt. It is your first time on Earth that they're letting you wander off on your own, after all."

"Actually," Nerine corrected, "the first time we came here, we kinda wandered off on our own. That's actually how we met Rin."

"Huh?" Before Rin could get an answer, Thomas gasped.

"PEEP-PIP-PEEP! Stop! There's a person on the tracks ahead!" Sakoto eased Thomas to a halt. About five yards ahead was a boy, wearing a uniform from the Academy. He was not too appealing to look at.

"H-Hello Kaede, n-nice to m-m-meet you." The boy stuttered with every sentence. "I-I'm from the KKK."

"Not again," Rin muttered. Thomas was perplexed.

"KKK? Isn't that an American group with white robes?"

"Not this KKK, Thomas," Rin sighed. "This is the Knights of Kissy Kaede."

"How unoriginal for a fan club," Sakoto stated as he peered out from the cab.

"So cool!" Sia said. "I wish I had a fan club like that!" Rin looked at her like she had two heads.

"Trust me," he said. "You don't." But it was too late. A student on a bicycle rode towards them.

"NO!" he screamed. "I'll be the first to confess my heart to Sia!" Another boy came up along Thomas's right side.

"Wait! I have to say my all-encompassing feelings for Nerine first!" The turn of events were getting on Sakoto's nerves.

"This stupid fanboy business is making us late for our jobs!" She pulled on Thomas's whistle cord, letting out a long, sharp blast. The third guy was so frightened, that he stumbled back and fell back-first onto the ground. When he recovered, he noticed that he was staring straight up Nerine's skirt. The Princess of the Demon World noticed this too, and panicked.

"KYA-A!-!" She shrieked. "Leave us alone!" She swung her hand forward, and a wave of energy shot forward. It struck her fanboy, sending her flying far away, beyond their line of sight. The other two fanboys were scared to wits.

"L-lets g-get out o-o-of here!" the stutterer decided.

"Yeah! Before we're toast too!" They soon vanished.

"And who's violent, Nerine?" Sia chided. The Demon Princess hung her head low.

"I-I didn't mean to…sorry…" RIn put a hand on her shoulder.

"That was a little too much," he said.

"At least now we can get on with things," Sakoto said as she opened the throttle. The rest of the journey, like the rest of the morning and afternoon, were uneventful, and everyone got to their destinations on time. Except for Nerine's fanboy, who mysteriously missed school that day.

Later that day, Rin was busy packing his bags for his walk home. While the things going into the bag were of schoolwork, the things running through his head were of the recent events of the week, mainly involving two girls from other worlds.

'_It's been nearly a week since Sia and Nerine came to school and declared me their fiancées. I'm lucky I haven't gone to the hospital because of it…but aside from that…what should I do?" _Just as he placed the last book inside the bag, Mayumi walked over to his desk. "You're still here, Mayumi? You always leave school in a hur-RICK! COUGH! COUGH!" Mayumi clapped a pair of erasers in front of Rin's face. "C-cleaning duty, h-huh?"

"Yup! We're almost done; the garbage still needs to be taken out. That's why I came to you…"

"What do you mean?"

"Can you show Rin where to dump the trash?"

"Me?...Oh wait, you mean Nerine…she's on duty too?" Rin looks behind the half-demon to see the Princess of the Demons holding a pair of trash bags. "That's a rather awkward sight…you want me to take her?"

"You're not doing anything, right? I have to go to the teacher's room for a moment."

"I'm not doing anything now…"

"Then please, Rin. There are no other boys in the class left, aside from the worst one to ask…". Rin chuckled

"Yeah. I guess anyone's better than Itsuki…Alright. I'll take her, so just tell Ms. B. that your cleaning duties are done." He went over to Nerine, whose face formed a large grin. She knew what he was coming over for.

Meanwhile, Thomas and Sakoto were doing the rounds with the trash train. They stopped at every major industry, where trash containers were loaded onto the train. Presently, they had dropped off some cars at the docks, and were running up the Kojima Branch to reach the transfer yard. Thomas was looking forward to seeing his friends again.

However, Rin and Nerine were having trouble. As they placed the trash in the incinerator located by the gymnasium, three male seniors walked by. They began to approach the two.

"Hey, isn't that the Tsuchimi kid from the junior class?"

"Oh, so that's the Demon girl? Hot damn! She's a pretty one, for sure!"

"Yeah! We'd like to have something like that! It must be nice to live the nice life while we study our rears off!"

"I envy you. It's like a fairytale you got there."

"All you had to do was be nice to little girls, and you become a king?"

"No wonder he hangs around that Itsuki flirt; all he does is pick up girls!"

"He's worse than that! He picked them up as a shrimp!"

"I agree! It's unfair!" They began to surround Rin.

"Uh, guys, let's not be irrational-!"

**!BOOM!**

A bright flash suddenly blinded everyone, followed by an explosion and a strong gust of wind. When it cleared, they noticed that a part of the nearby gymnasium wall was missing.

"Those were obviously words of disrespect for Rin," Nerine muttered. She seemed to have an aura of malice around her, as she glared straight through the souls of the three seniors. "Rin, please stand back. It's about to get dangerous"

"Huh? Nerine, wait -!" Another blast rang out, this time punching a crater into the ground in front of the three students, who were now trembling in fear.

"H-H-Hey, whattya doing, attacking us without speaking?-!"

"We're against violence!"

"Yeah! Are you trying to kill us?-!"

"Don't worry," Nerine assured the three, smiling. "You won't be hospitalized. But you have the right to be silent forever."

"That's even worse!"

"Nerine! Stop!" Rin gasped. "You're really going to kill them if you go on like this!"But Nerine was absolute. A shower of bright energy was released at the boys. Some of it sent the three flying, while others damaged more of the gym. Rin could see a few students inside who quickly fled for their lives. A sizeable glowing ball of energy formed in her right hand.

"People who disrespect you don't deserve to see the sun! All they are doing is wasting precious resources!" Her red eyes turned to the boys. "I'll show mercy by making it so that you don't feel pain." The seniors were frantic.

"I don't wanna die!"

"NERINE!-!" Rin's cry came just before the release of the energy ball was released.

**!BOOM!**

The explosion was tremendous, engulfing the entire gymnasium in a ball of white, rendering a little mushroom cloud in its wake. Rubble flew everywhere, breaking windows, pelting roofs, and piling up on the streets and the rail line. It was then that Thomas approached from one direction with the trash train, and Aiko from the other with a goods train from the transfer line.

"What the hell?-!" the Japanese engine cursed. "_TOMARE!-! TOMARE!-! TOMARE!-!_"

"BUST MY BUFFERS!-!" Thomas cried. "BRAKES!-!" Both drivers cut off steam and screwed the brake levers hard on, but the trains were going much too fast. The crews leapt onto the hard ballast and concrete, as the engines braced for the worst.

**!CRASH! **Aiko was the first to hit the rubble, derailing and skidding sideways. Her tender remained on Thomas's line as the tank engine rammed into the wreck. The cars piled up after them, leaving a strong smell of garbage in the air. When the dust settled, both crews got together to inspect the damage. Aiko had lost her front knuckle, and her tender was in shambles. Thomas however had taken the worst of it. His front buffer beam was smashed to bits from the impact, and a large crack ran the length of his funnel. Banana peels and ramen noodle cups sullied his bright blue paint, and filled his coal bunker with a primordial soup of trash and coal dust.

"Pew!" Aiko's fireman gagged. "What a horrible smell!" Sakoto slapped him

"Never mind your nose! Call for Kayio and a breakdown train! And while you're at it, get Mr. Soroi on the line as well! He won't be happy when he hears this." And he wasn't, when he went to the school that evening.

"So, the total injuries were one complete demolition of the gymnasium, two hundred damaged windows give or take, one totaled Nissan, five injured people, damage to Aiko's tender and coupler, and serious damage to Thomas." Mr. Soroi placed the report on Nadeshiko 's desk, and glared at Nerine, Rin, and Forbessi. Nerine hung her head low.

"In other words, Sir," Nadeshiko continued, focusing on Forbessi, "your daughter has caused great and irreparable damage to the surrounding area."

"Is that all?" the King of the Demons stated incredulously. "My, Nerine! You're learning to control your magic much better than before!" Nerine didn't look at this as being a time to compliment.

"F-Father…" Mr. Soroi slammed his hands on the desk.

"You're praising her for using lethal force?-! She could have killed those three boys back there, as well as my train crews! And speaking of that, I have half my roster out, and Thomas has extensive damage to his frame and boiler! How do you expect me to tell Sir Topham Hatt that his engine was nearly destroyed because some girl couldn't control her temper?-!"

"You won't have to worry about that," Forbessi assured him calmly. "I think he's here now." Just as he said that, the classroom door opened, and in stepped the person whom Rin couldn't decide on being the first or last person he wanted to see at that time.

"Hey, Forbessi!" Eustoma greeted, sounding like he just came from a party. "I heard that Nerine got into a spot of trouble!" Forbessi sighed.

"Some boys tried to insult Rin, so my girl had to set things right."

"Really? Why didn't she call me? I could've handed down some divine punishment of my own!" Nadeshiko's jaw dropped.

"Y-Y-You actually condone this behavior?-!" she gasped. Her words were ignored.

"I wanted her to blow them up the Styx, but that would have brought in the media, and you know how picky they can be."

"Yeah! Why must they always help the bad guys? I'd like to hand out a little retribution, you know?"

"Don't I know it! Anyway, did you bring your best mages with you?"

"Of course! I split them up between the gym, the track, the hospital, and the two engines. Everything should be back the way it was by the time the students come into school tomorrow. Now let's hold a party! I just got my hands on some nice sake today…!" While the two Kings discussed plans, the four "normal" people in the room gathered in one spot. Nerine let out a solemn sigh, and Nadeshiko and Mr. Soroi buried their hands in their faces.

"They are a bit unreasonable when it comes to human life," Rin pointed out.

"We can tell," the two adults groaned. That night, Rin and Nerine went over to the shops to visit Thomas. Aiko had minimal damage, and was only waiting for a new tender to be coupled up before leaving for the sheds. Thomas, however, was forced to stay the night. The mages were working hard to fix him, but there would still be some time before he could leave.

"U-um…Thomas, I'm so sorry…" Nerine began. "I…I never meant to hurt you or your crew…"

"Don't worry," Thomas assured you. "Emotions get the better of everyone at times, even an engine like me. Besides, Eustoma's men said that I should be better than new by tomorrow, so what you two should be worrying about more would be school."

"And your father," Rin added. "Will he really go for retribution?" Nerine shook her head.

"I'll handle that. Have a good night, Thomas."

"Be safe out there," Thomas told them. The two then left the sheds. "Well, that's the second time she's used forceful magic today by accident.

"Hah!" Aiko huffed. "You call demolishing an entire gym an accident?-! If it were me in charge, I'd expel her and send her to her own world!"

"So Thomas was right in pegging you as anti-foreigner," a voice said.

"Sia?" Thomas called. The God walked out from the shed's entrance.

"Hey, Thomas," she said. "I wanted to come to check up on you, but not with Nerine. It's bad enough for the two of us to have more than two degrees of separation, so I don't want to remind her about a third."

"Three?" Aiko wondered, recovered from the slight shock of her accusation. "I can only think of temper and royalty. What could be more?" Thomas thought about it.

"I know," he declared after a while. "There's only one other possible explanation: family."

"Ba-ka!" Aiko groaned. "There's no resemblance of a Demon in her at all!" But Sia shook her head.

"No, Thomas is right. My birth mother is Forbessi's younger sister, so I am half-God, half-Demon." Aiko was amazed.

"B-B-But you look completely like a God!" she spluttered. "There's no resemblance to a Demon at all!"

"That…that's because of a special reason…"

"What did you say, Sia?" Thomas asked.

"Ah, it's nothing! I better get going; Papa's waiting on me to get dinner ready. Good night!" She turned around and left the sheds.

"So Kaede has a rabid fan club, Nerine is overprotective around Rin, and Sia is half-Demon…" Thomas mulled. "Guess we found out more about Verbena's three princesses than ever before, huh?"

"Guess so," Aiko muttered. "Not like it's important to me or all…" And with melancholic feelings, Aiko puffed out of the works, taking her muddled thoughts with her.

* * *

><p><strong>Aiko and the Troublesome Trucks<strong>

That night, as Aiko backed down onto her shed track, she still contemplated on Thomas the Tank Engine. Between saving Primula and caring more about Rin and Nerine than his own well-being, Thomas was looking more and more like a good guy to her.

'_I've always felt that the best engine to run on a Japanese railway was one from Japan,_' she pondered, '_but that's not what I'm seeing_.' Kayio noticed her blank and airy mood.

"What's up, Aiko? Got your mind on an engine or something? Maybe Thomas?" Aiko was taken aback.

"W-W-What are you sputtering, Kayio?-! Why would I think about that blue toaster box? He's not even one of us! We should just leave him broken as is and load him onto the next scrap boat to China!"

"Quiet, Aiko!" her friend hushed. "Don't speak ill of Thomas behind his bunker. The gods don't like a person who does that."

"I think Kami himself would approve of sending that blue puffball away!"

"Well, if you ever want to change your mind, you better do so quickly. At best, you may have only a couple of days before he goes back to his home rails."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…it's not like I feel even a twang of remorse or something…" But she did. At the works, the manager received a phone call from Mr. Soroi.

"Hello?...Yes…mh-hm…uh-hu…So you need some hopper cars to replace those destroyed today?...Well, we don't have any hoppers per say, but we do have those trucks from England we can use...Yes…I'll have Thomas bring them back with him when he returns to work tomorrow…Alright, sir. Goodbye." The manager hung up the phone, then gave a heavy sigh. "I really hope these trucks will be fine. We did buy them off of Sodor after all…"

The next morning, Thomas was back together in one piece. His blue paint sparkled in the morning sun, his brass was polished to the degree of a mirror, and his face beamed with a huge grin.

"Well, you've had your time to rest," Sakoto told him when she arrived. "Now it's time to get back to work."

"Thank goodness," Thomas said. "Yesterday was much too…how should I put it…explosive?" Sakoto chuckled a bit. "So do we have any orders yet?"

"Yes. Wilbert's bringing a cut of trucks for us to load at the docks with coal."

"Sounds nice. Wait, did you say trucks?" At that moment, Wilbert chuffed from behind the works building. Sure enough, he was hauling a string of twenty trucks, and Wilbert was having a hard time controlling them.

"Come on, you lot!" he huffed. "Come quietly! Come quietly!"

"No! No! No!" the trucks shouted. "We were resting nicely on that siding ever since we got here, and you had to go and move us! Here's what we think about that!" They bumped the forest engine hard, sending him back a few feet.

"Cinders and Ashes!" Thomas exclaimed. "What's a bunch of Troublesome Trucks doing in Tokyo?-!"

"They must be here as spares," Sakoto surmised. "Mr. Soroi does own a lot of equipment from around the world, so I wouldn't put it past him to have something from England. I don't think it should be too much trouble. My horoscope said that today will be a great day!"

"You're not the one who's going to haul them," Thomas muttered. Wilbert was detached from the line of trucks, and Thomas ran up and coupled the line of trucks. He backed onto a brakevan and steamed off. The first job was to take a load of coal from the docks to the steel mills. Thomas shunted the trucks one by one under the coal chute, which loaded them with coal. As the last car was pushed under the chute, Thomas's worst fears came true.

"Go on! Go on!" they yelled. Banging their buffers, they surged forward, and instead of a truck being under the loading chute, it was Thomas!

"Crap!" Sakoto's curse was the last thing heard before the last load of coal fell down all over Thomas. The workmen in the area were surprised at the abundance of coal dust in the air, and ran over to the chute. When they arrived, they saw that Thomas was covered in black coal dust from smokebox to cab, with piles of coal on either side of him. The trucks laughed gleefully at their trick…and were the only ones laughing.

"KEH-KOUFF-COUGH!-!" Sakoto hacked. She and the fireman were covered in the coal dust as well. "That's the last time I listen to the papers for tips on my future!" The fireman, meanwhile, cursed in Japanese. Thomas groaned.

"Why is it I always happen to get filthy whenever trucks are involved?-!" he groaned in annoyance. Mr. Soroi was soon informed of the news.

"We can't have a dirty engine running on the line; it's bad publicity enough with yesterday's actions alone. Get Thomas cleaned right away, and have Aiko pick up the trucks. She can deliver them after she's done with her train." Soon Aiko arrived at the docks. Thomas had already been uncoupled, and was being scrubbed down by workmen on a nearby siding. The Japanese engine couldn't help but laugh at his misery.

"So instead of a little blue puffball, we have a little black chimney sweeper on the line! I knew you weren't a useful engine after all!" Thomas groaned, and rolled his eyes.

"Don't blame me, blame these Troublesome Trucks! They aren't like you're used to in terms of their behavior."

"_Baka_!" Aiko scoffed. "Trucks are merely freight cars; they wouldn't dare play tricks on an engine, especially me! Now if you excuse me, I have a schedule to keep!" And she puffed away, train in tow.

"We'll show her that we can and will dare!" giggled the trucks. "Let's cooperate with her until we find the chance!" Of course, Aiko didn't hear them. The Japanese Tender Engine's rounds today involved a setout and pickup at Sunlight Way, which was where Rin was at the moment. He was in the department store at the end of the block, and was looking everywhere but straight ahead. Consequently, he bumped straight into Eustoma and Forbessi.

"Oh, hey Rin!" the King of the Gods greeted. "You're shopping too? Me an' Forbessi found some nice sake here that you might want to try!"

"Maybe some other time," Rin said. "Have you seen Primula around here by any chance?"

"Uh, no, can't say we haven't…" Forbessi suddenly got worried.

"Wait, do you mean to say that Primula's missing?" Rin nervously shook his head.

"She's definitely in the department store , so I wouldn't say that her whearabouts are unknown or that she was kidnapped.." Forbessi placed a hand on Rin's shoulder.

"That's EXACTLY what I'm worried about. Remember that Primula's still an experiment; if something happens to her, the entire area could be flattened! We must always have an eye on her so as to prevent an accidental discharge of her powers."

"We'll give you one hour to find her," Eustoma stated. "After that, we'll search for her ourselves." The two Kings left Rin to find Asa and Kaede, who were quickly brought up to speed.

"How has this gotten so serious?" Asa gasped.

"I don't know," Rin replied, "but the fate of the entire world now rests on our shoulders. Knowing those two, their methods of finding Primula will break at least fifty laws and cause an interplanetary fiasco…"

"But we've checked almost the entire store and haven't seen any sign of her!" Kaede exclaimed. "Unless she was asleep, Primula definitely would have-!" An awkward pause.

"Don't tell me, since Primula's like a small child, that such behavior…?"

"Well, we haven't checked there yet, so…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Let's go already!" With those words of encouragement, the three sprinted towards the bedding department. They searched every bed, mattress, and futon that was there, but to no avail.

"Now what?-!" Asa groaned, as she fell down onto a mattress

"Excuse me!" Rin said as he flagged down a saleswoman. "Were any beds taken away from here within the last hour?"

"Why yes. Three were taken to the warehouse to be shipped by train. I distinctly remember that one of them had a rather large amount of purple and black pillows on it…"

"Thanks!" The three raced down to ground level, and exited the department store towards the warehouse. They scooted into the building, ignoring the whistle blast of Aiko's departure.

"Come on, my friends! Come on, my friends!" the engine chuffed.

"We're coming! We're coming!" the boxcars cheered back.

"Not long now! Not long now!" the trucks whispered to each other. The line ducked under the mainline before quickly rising in elevation to clear a major branch siding. From there, there was a sharp downhill portion that led into the yard.

"Almost there! Almost there!" Aiko celebrated. "Silly Thomas! I was right all along!" But she wasn't.

"On! On! On!" the trucks yelled. With a sudden lurch, the train picked up speed on the downhill run.

"Hey! Cut that out! Brakes, driver!" But there was no driver. The sudden jerk had knocked both he and the fireman out of the cab! "H-Hey, is anyone there?-! HELP! ANYONE!" Thomas was. He was shunting in the yards when Aiko came screaming in, her wheels pounding the rails.

"I warned her about the trucks…!" Thomas muttered to himself.

"No time to feel no sympathy!" Sakoto shouted. "Hang on!" She threw the reverser, opened the throttle, and Thomas, with a few cars behind him, quickly sped backwards. Sakoto soon caught up with them.

"Help!" she cried. "I have nobody to pull the brake!"

"We'll see!" Sakoto said. "Hido, take the controls!" With the fireman at the throttle, Sakoto stood at the cab door, waiting for the precise moment to jump. Within seconds, she saw her chance, and scrambled over into Aiko. She quickly reduced steam and applied the brake lever. "_Yosh!_ We're gaining on them!" Just then, the fireman looked back.

"_Oi! Sakoto-san!"_ Sakoto looked ahead. Up ahead was the yard ladder and the yard lead. The lead on this end was short, and ended at the edge of a steep riverbank.

"Crap! We'll never stop in time!" Thomas felt his brakes coming on.

"No!" he cried. "Faster! Cut them off at the ladder!" Sakoto was surprised, but she relayed the message. The brake came off, and Thomas sped forward. Radio commands went out, and switches were realigned. Thomas veered onto the ladder. "Now brakes!" The brakes came on again, and Thomas quickly slowed down. Buffers met buffers as the still speeding Aiko ran into him.

"BAKA!-!" Sakoto shouted. "Now you've really done it! There's no way that you can stop me before the water! We're both going under!"

"Not if I have any say!" Thomas huffed back. "I can't bear to see a fellow engine get hurt, even if it costs me something in the end!" The train began to move slower and slower, as they got nearer and nearer to the buffers. The first of Thomas's four cars burst through the buffers, and tumbled into the river, then the second, and the third. The fourth car went over the edge, and the coupling snapped, the cars falling deeper into the murky waters. It was there, with mere inches before the end of the track, where the runaway came to a halt.

"We did it!" Sakoto cheered. Thomas smiled.

"See? You can never say never in any situation!" Aiko didn't know what to say. She had just been saved by the tank engine she had constantly abused through her words, out of the act of his own kindness.

"I'll go make sure none of the cars got damaged," Sakoto said. The green-haired engineer walked down the train to the boxcars, only to poke her head out of the first one a minute later. "Hey Aiko, where'd you pick up the second car in your train."

"Eh? From the warehouse at Sunlight Way. Why?" Sakoto popped out, caring a something that wore a black shirt and had purple hair.

"You happened to pick up Sleeping Beauty here by accident. We'll make a special trip to bring her back…when we wake her up." Fortunately for her, Primula was waking up as she spoke.

"Nnh…Thomas? What am I doing here?" Thomas merely smiled.

"Don't worry, Primula. I'll make sure that you get back to Rin." A few minutes later, over at the warehouse, a dejected Rin, Kaede, and Asa stumbled out of the building.

"We looked in every nook and cranny of that darned warehouse, and now my feet hurt!" Asa complained.

"But we haven't found Primula yet," Kaede reminded her. "We have to keep looking for her. I'm sure Rin has an idea on her location, right?" Rin was thinking hard about a possible location.

"Maybe we missed her as we were looking," he hypothesized. "She's small enough that she could be hidden among the clothesracks." Just then, Thomas chuffed into the sidings.

"Are you looking for Primula?" the tank engine asked.

"How'd you guess?" Asa replied.

"Because she happens to be riding with me right now." At that, Primula stepped out of Thomas's cab, and ran over to Rin.

"Primula!" Rin gasped. "You made us worry so much about you!"

"At least everything's all right now," Asa sighed. She then looked down Sunlight Way, towards a digital clock tower in the distance. "R-Rin! The time! We're way over time limit!" Rin kept his cool.

"Don't worry, I already had a plan for that."

"You did?" Behind them, the automatic doors to the department store opened, allowing Eustoma – who was flying through the air – to pass through into the outside. The culprit of this was a familiar chair-wielding redhead.

"N-No! Sia, listen to me -!-!"

"NO!-! You were being a nuisance to Rin AGAIN!-! I'm giving you army rations for dinner tonight!" Behind these two were Nerine and Forbessi.

"You committed the same sin father! I'm not talking to you for a week!"

"Please, Nerine! Your papa will die from loneliness!"

"Hmph!" Sakoto had the groups' general reaction.

"Uh…what is that?"

"I was worried, so I wanted the ultimate weapon that could consistently defeat that pair," Rin explained.

"Who would have thought that would have been Sia and Nerine?" Thomas stated. Kaede and Primula nodded.

That night in the sheds, Aiko was feeling glum about what she had done to Thomas earlier in his stay. "L-Listen, Thomas? Thank you for saving me today, a-and I'm sorry for harassing you before. But still, why did you bother helping an anti-foreigner like me?"

"Because it used to happen all the time on Sodor. A new engine believes that he is the fastest engine in the world, or that she wants to do things her way, or thinks that he is the most important engine on the line and knows everything. Everyone goes through that phase of feeling better than every other engine, even me."

"Even you?"

"Yes. That third example was of myself, and that thinking got me dragged behind the Express, stuck in a snowdrift, fallen down a mine, and stuck in the stationmaster's house. Everyone who acts like that has their fall, if you speak." Aiko looked down at her buffers. "But, the engines then turn into better friends and comrades. Gordon lost his dome trying to go over a hundred miles an hour, and became a more humble engine because of it. Mavis got my friend Toby into danger because of her actions, and learned that she needed to work with him to be really useful. And as for myself, well, I guess you already know the answer to that."

"I certainly do. Can I ask you one last thing, Thomas?"

"What?"

"C-Can we start over from the beginning? As, you know, friends?" Thomas smiled.

"Of course, Aiko! Everybody deserves a second chance in friendship, after all."

"Thanks Thomas. I think your visit to our railway has taught me something that I was really lacking. No matter where they come from, or what their background is, an engine's still an engine." Over in another berth, Kayio smiled, happily contemplating the newfound friendship between her two stablemates.

* * *

><p><strong>Thomas, Primula, and Lycoris<strong>

Halfway between Rin's house and the Academy, marking the end of the Kojima Line's single-track street trackage and the beginning of double-track median running that leads to the junction with the Sunlight Way Line, is a large park. Serving as an oasis to the concrete, smoky jungle around the area, it is a very popular place, bordering the highway to the north, Verbena Academy to the east, Sunlight Way to the South, and Kawasaki Daishi to the west. There are trails, trees, and picnic areas for people to enjoy, along with a brand-new train watching platform. There's also a large fountain very close to the line. This has been the talk among the engines recently, as Primula has frequently been spotted there, staring into the fountain pool for hours on end.

One night, Kayio was coming down the branch with a work train, when she saw Primula at the fountain. She was on a bench next to the line. "Primula, what are you doing here? You should be back with Rin and Kaede at this time."

"No," Primula said. "You're wrong."

"Wrong? What do you mean?"

"Nothing…but I will stay here." The driver was concerned.

"We can't just leave her like this," he told Kayio. "We might as well hold here until she decides to leave." Primula was surprised by this. Her eyes briefly widened, before returning to their plain, emotionless gaze.

"I'm leaving." She got up, and began to walk away.

"Good thing we came by," the fireman stated. "If not, she might have waited all night here." Primula stopped, and turned back around.

"No," she said. "I wanted…to see her." Kayio thought she meant Nerine.

"Nerine's at home, so you should have just gone back." Primula shook her head.

"Not Nerine…Lycoris. I thought I could see her if I waited here…" She then left, disappearing into the night. Kayio was confused

"Lycoris? I've never heard that name before."

"Maybe it's one of her friends," her driver suggested. "We can't see her all the time, so maybe she has a Lycoris that she hangs out with."

"I doubt that," the fireman countered. "Do you see her mood all the time? And she also hangs out either with Nerine's family or Thomas." They steamed away to join the others at the sheds. Thomas was talking with Aiko about the time he helped save a goose that had broken its wing.

"Excuse me, Thomas, but have you heard of a Lycoris?"

"I can't say I have, why?"

"That's who Primula said she was waiting for by the park fountain tonight. We saw her as we passed by with the last train."

"That's the fifth time in five days!" Aiko stated. "She was there yesterday around the same time as well."

"Now that you mentioned it," Thomas remembered, "when I took that work train four nights ago, I did see her entering Rin's house very late at night. So you're saying that this is all because of this Lycoris, Kayio?"

"Yes. Now the question is who this person is, and why is she connected to Primula."

"I know that a Lycoris is a bright red flower," Aiko chimed in. "But I don't know about a person with that name."

"Nerine should have some information," Thomas decided. "They are both of the Demon race, and she seems to know her from when Primula was being…created." He was still uncomfortable with the fact that Primula was an artificial form of life.

"Good idea," Aiko agreed. "You should ask her tomorrow, when you see her during your run to the transfer yard." But he never got the chance, as a bigger surprise awaited him that morning when the engines woke up from his night's slumber. There, in work overalls, was Sir Topham Hatt. "Sir?-!"

"Good morning, Thomas!" Sir Topham Hatt greeted. "Or Konichiwa, whichever you're used to now. It's so good to see you after so many days and weeks." Kayio and Aiko were waking up at this point.

"~Yawn~ Kayio, who's that workman over there?"

"I think that's Thomas's superintendent. He looks just as Thomas described him."

"Yeah, rotundness and all. So if he's here, then that means that the new engine's here as well?"

"_Hai!_" Sakoto stated, popping up from Thomas's cab. "Mr. Soroi wants us to all be at the yard to greet him right away. Come on, Sir Topham."

"Yes, Miss Sakoto, coming." Thomas was confused.

"Sir, what are you doing?"

"Well, I thought that it would be nice if I acted as your fireman while I was here. You don't mind that, do you?" Thomas beamed.

"Not at all sir!" The three engines headed over to the docks. When they arrived, they saw the new engine. He was painted black with a silver smokebox and had six driver wheels, a square coal tender, and wore the number with the words KANTO RAILWAY painted on the tender sides. However, to their surprise, there was an exactly identical engine with the number 102 right next to him.

"Hey, weren't we supposed to get only one engine, Kayio?" Aiko asked.

"Maybe Mr. Soroi wanted to surprise us with another engine?" Kayio guessed.

"He's certainly not looking like it," Sakoto stated. "He looks frustrated." Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt had a guess.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, sir?"

"That this is just like back when my grandfather bought Donald and got Douglas on the side? Yes." Mr. Soroi looked at the manifest.

"Alright, I know I ordered No. 101, but why is No. 102 here?"

"Well, just before I was sold, our owner passed away," No. 101 explained. "He had only the two of us as his steam engines, so he placed in his will that wherever one of us is sold, that the other would be packaged with him."

"That puts some explanation. I know that you have numbers, but what about names?"

"We never had official names," No. 102 stated, "as just about every engine in America does, but our old owner called my brother Walter, and myself Richard. But if it's fine with you, we prefer Walt and Richie instead."

"Alright Walt, Richie. Welcome to Tokyo. However, I only need one engine at the moment. I don't see how I can use two engines at the moment…" Thomas had an idea.

"What if you lease one of them to the Works?" he suggested. "Wilbert's going to be returning back home with me, so they'll be out of a work engine until they can purchase a new one."

"What a good idea, Thomas," Mr. Soroi said. "Richie, I'll send you to the Works. I know they'll make you feel welcome as well. Thomas will show you to Wilbert, who will show you how things are done."

"Sure thing, sir." Thomas and Richard headed off to the Works, where the manager was waiting for them.

"Mr. Soroi told me all about you, Richie. Wilbert here will show you around." Wilbert and Richie spent the rest of the day shunting cars, doing small runs to and from the docks, and helping out where needed. Richie proved exceptionally well performing these duties, and the manager was pleased enough to accept the lease agreement until they could find a new engine. However, there was a problem when they inspected Ritchie's tender.

"The metal in the water tank is almost completely made of paint," an inspector told the manager. "It could break apart at any moment, and leave Richard with no water to spare."

"Do you hear that, Richie?" The manager asked. "We have a slope-back tender all ready to swap out, if you don't mind. It'll at least make you and Walt easier to distinguish between."

"Oh, yes sir!" Richie replied. He was happy to be in his new job. Walt, meanwhile, was working with Aiko. The Japanese engine, no longer hesitant at foreigners coming to the railway, was more than glad to show the six-wheeled engine the rounds in the yard and on the mainline.

"So where are you two from?" she asked as they waited at Verbena Junction.

"The Susquehanna Railroad in the Northeast United States," Walt replied. "Our owner loved older engines, and assembled a collection of both steam and diesel engines that put in live long days long after the major lines thought otherwise. However, our owner was bought out ten years ago, and the engines had been slowly sold or scrapped as they had major failures. We were the last of the original power when he passed away, and were about to be scrapped when they found the clause in his will about us. It's a good thing, too; Richie might have been scrapped otherwise" Just then, they heard Kayio come down the line with an empty stone train. As she was directed towards Sunlight Way, Rin ran by.

"Where's the fire, Rin?" Aiko said to him. "You look like you lost something!"

"I did!" he shouted back. "Nobody knows where Primula is!" Kayio heard this, but was going too fast to tell him where Primula might be.

'_I've got to tell Thomas!' _she thought to herself. _'He'll know what to do!'_ She hadn't seen Primula in the park when she passed it, and guessed she wouldn't be there when Aiko and Walt passed with their trains, but she knew that the Rimu would be there soon enough. Speaking of Thonas, he was shunting at the warehouse sidings in Sunlight Way when he spotted Nerine.

"Nerine!" Thomas called over. "Can you come over here for a moment?" The princess obliged.

"What is it, Thomas?"

"The three of us – myself, Aiko, and Kayio – are a little concerned over Primula. We've seen her in the park by the line, looking for someone named Lycoris." Nerine gasped at the mention of Lycoris.

"You do know of the name?" Sakoto realized. Nerine nodded.

"I'm not allowed to say anything more on the matter, though," she sighed. "It's information that's classified to my father." Just then, Kayio bustled in, wearing a look of panic on her face.

"What's the matter?" Sakoto asked.

"It's Primula! She's gone missing again!" Everyone gasped.

"She must have gone to see Lycoris!" Thomas realized.

"We've got to see those Kings right away!" Sakoto stated. "Even if I have to beat them over the head with a shovel, we've got to find out about Lycoris!"

"Isn't that called assult?" Sir Topham Hatt asked. He turned to Nerine. "Do you know where your father is now?"

"Umm…I think they're at Rin's house now. But Thomas?"

"Yes?"

"I need both you and Rin to replace Lycoris in Primula's life. I can't do that. I'm sorry I can't be of any more help…" Sir Topham Hatt smiled.

"I don't know much about the situation," he said to her, "but I do know that with Thomas here, we'll be doing much more above the duty of replacing someone in their lives. Primula will be perfectly fine, I can assure you of that." That made Nerine smile. As Thomas set off for Rin's house, Kayio looked up to the sky. Dark clouds were building, and a flash of lightning illuminated the night sky.

"Ironic," she muttered.

"What's ironic?" Nerine wondered.

"Looks like we'll be getting the same weather as when Thomas and Primula first met." Thomas sped by the park on the line. He looked around, but he could see no sign of Primula anywhere. As they went away, though, Sir Topham Hatt thought he saw a large black dog in the park. When they reached Rin's hous, Sakoto and Sir Topham Hatt got out, and the female driver furiously knocked on the door. Kaede, who had been serving tea to Eustoma and Forbessi, was swept aside as the green-haired woman marched to the table, with Sir Topham Hatt trundling behind.

"You two!" she ordered. "Who is Lycoris, and what makes her so important to Primula?" The two Kings gasped.

"W-Where did you hear that name?" Eustoma asked.

"Kayio heard it from Primula herself. All of the engines know about her, so it would be best to tell us now." The mood went somber in the room, as Kaede excused herself to make some tea.

"Does she have anything to do with why Primula doesn't smile," Sakoto asked. Forbessi sighed.

"It's not like she doesn't…It's more like she can't." Eustoma panicked.

"_Oi, _Forbessi…"

"It's alright, they should…no, they need to know this."

"Please, tell us," Sakoto implored. Forbessi began quietly.

"Well, as Sakoto at least knows, Primula is one of three artificial life-forms created to make the greatest magical being know to date. What you don't know is that three were prepared because we know that they wouldn't last a long time."

"The first experiment was a simple strengthening of an average Demon," Eustoma continued. "However, the experiment went out of control, and the overflow of energy completely annihilated the institution. Not even a corpse was left. We simply should have stopped there…" A tear fell out of Eustoma's eye.

"Primula was the third experiment," Forbessi continued, "made from a manufacturing process. We created every hair, every nail, every cell from scratch. We don't know how, or why despite so many failures, but we created a life. Primula has no real family, save one…"

"The second experiment," Sir Topham Hat realized. "Lycoris."

"She was a clone of my own daughter," Forbessi continued, "using reinforced genes to create a more stable body. She didn't violently explode like the first, but in time she two couldn't withstand the punishing magical burden on her and died. But in that time, she developed a sisterly bond with Primula. It was Lycoris who gave her Toratama, the worn stuffed cat Primula always carries. It was Lycoris who brought her back when she first ran away from the institution. And it was Lycoris who gave Primula her first love…" Sakoto and Sir Topham Hatt told Thomas this as they got back into his cab. It was now raining hard, and water swirled onto his boiler.

"So that means Lycoris came to Earth once before," he reasoned. "But how did she meet Rin? It's not like they met or anything…"

"That's later thought," Sakoto told him. "We still haven't seen Primula anywhere, not even in the park!"

"All I saw was a large greyish-black dog as we were leaving," Sir Topham Hatt added. Thomas blinked.

"Was there any purple on this, eh, dog, sir?" he asked.

"Come to think about it, yes. Right where the head should be."

"That was no dog," Sakoto gasped, "it's Primulaa! She must be soaked out there right now!"

"Then why are we sitting around talking about it?-!" Thomas stated. "Back to the park!" They arrived in record time, finding Primula standing in the rain by the tracks. She was facing the fountain, but turned to face Thomas when he whistled at her. She was surprised that Thomas had come.

"I knew that you'd be here," he said. "We all knew. Getting soaked in the rain is sometimes a nice, refreshing feeling. As long as I stay on the rails, of course. Or is it that you just don't like umbrellas?" Primula was stunned, and for the first time, looked speechless.

"I-It's not like I don't like them…" she said softly, before turning away bashfully. "Lycoris…isn't here." Thomas felt Sakoto and Sir Topham Hatt leave his cab, from the side opposite Primula.

"I know," he said somberly. "Lycoris isn't here. She…she isn't anywhere anymore."

"Isn't anywhere…no longer…anywhere…" Primula showed no emotion, but her voice was a mix of sadness and disappointment. Thomas figured out the right words in his smokebox.

"I am not Lycoris. I can never be Lycoris, and I can never tell you to forget her. I am Thomas the Tank Engine." Primula's eyes widened.

"Thomas…the Tank Engine?" Her voice was full of amazement.

"Yes, Thomas the Tank Engine. Even if you look on the tallest hill, or in the most windswept valley, she won't be there. Lycoris will not be there. So…"

"So?"

"So, I'm here to pick you up." Primula cocked her head.

"Pick me up?"

"Yes. Trains are meant to take someone from one point in their life to another. And I'm not alone; Rin, Nerine, Kaede, Sia, and everyone else are your props as well, ready to help you advance on. I'm speaking for everyone when I say that we'll be there for you. And if I ever come back to Japan, every day, I'll come to meet you. I'll welcome you on, and always accept you." He paused. "I am not Lycoris. I will not become Lycoris. Lycoris is no longer here. Therfore, bear with Thomas the Tank Engine, and Rin Tsuchimi, and everyone else. You don't have to be alone ever." It was as if Primula had been slapped with a cold towel. Her eyes widened as far as Thomas had ever seen, before her head drooped down.

"You…you came to pick me up…Thomas…you…you will b-be…" For the first time, her expressionless face broadened. "Ah..ooh…A-A-A-A-A-AH!-!" She suddenly cried out, and threw herself into Thomas's front. Thomas was shocked; this was the first time he had seen emotion from Primula, let alone this much of it.

"P-Primula!"

"ENOUGH!" she cried. "I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE ANYMORE! LOOK AT ME! BE WITH ME! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE ANYMORE!" Her tears mixed with the rain, falling profusely onto Thomas's frame. She didn't know how to express her emotions, but they just poured out. Thomas smiled.

"Yes, I'll make sure you're never alone. Let's head back together." He looked around. "Uh, guys, you can come back now!" Sakoto and Sir Topham Hatt came from out of a nearby bush.

"Hey, it was all for Primula," Sakoto said to The Fat Controller, "so deal with it."

"If anyone ever found out that I was in the mud…" The next morning, everyone was in the yards to bid Thomas a fond farewell. His fire had been put out, and a container was on the rails behind him. Sir Topham Hatt was back in his usual attire, Eustoma and Forbessi were in their kimonos, and everyone else were dressed nicely for the occasion.

"Well done, Thomas!" Mr. Soroi congratulated. "Everything that Sir Topham Hatt has said about you were true to a T: a really useful engine in both work and character!" Thomas blushed, and looked at Sir Topham Hatt.

"Oh, sir…!"

"I only speak how I feel about my engines, Thomas. You know that."

"And how can he not deny it," Eustoma commended, "after helping Primula out last night? You doo good deeds out of the kindness of your heart, Thomas. If you were only human, I would give you my daughter's ha-!"

**!THWACK!**

**!THUD!**

"D-DAD?-!" Sia cried, holding her folding chair.

"You're more outspoken than me when you're angry," Asa noted. "And that's saying something." Everyone laughed, including Primula. Aiko puffed forward. She was on the same line as Thomas.

"Thomas, uh…thank you, for helping me realize how much of a _baka_ I've been. I…I don't know how I would have acted to Walt and Richie had I not met you…"

"Think nothing of it!" Thomas replied. "An engine in need is as good as a friend in need, and they become friends in the end anyway, so they're already as close as siblings." Aiko blushed.

"Say hi to Percy, Duck, and the others!" Wilbert called.

"Will do, Wilbert!"

"Thomas?" The blue tank engine looked at Primula. Her face was now filled with hope and happiness.

"Yes?"

"Promise you'll come back to Tokyo?"

"Of course! Is that all right with you, sir?" Sir Topham Hatt beamed.

"It's more than all right! Mr. Soroi, whenever you're in need of a spare, just give me a call; I'll pay for the expenses myself. And to Primula, and everyone else: You are all welcome on the Island of Sodor whenever you like. I'm sure Thomas and his friends will all enjoy speaking to you!" Primula smiled. It was a smile of relief, and Primula wore it better than anyone Thomas thought could. Aiko pushed Thomas into the container.

"Goodbye, everybody!" he called.

"_Ja ne, Thomas_!" everyone called back, as the doors shut. The crate was lifted onto a truck, and was shipped off to the airport. But days afterwards, Rin, Primula, Kaede, Sia, Nerine, and Asa could hear Thomas's whistle whenever they ventured near the line, just as if he was there right next to them.

* * *

><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_A deleted scene had Mr. Soroi wheel in a TV screen, and have Thomas videochat with Percy and Toby. The scene ended when Percy got too excited, and ran over the monitor on his end by mistake._

_The southern line is based off of the Keikyū Kurihama Line, but the industrial track arrangements are based off of abandoned lines on the nearby JR East's Yokosuka Line in Yokosuka, Kanagawa._

_The first story is based off an incident in 2011 on the Northeast Corridor in Conneticut. An Acela trainset got its pantograph tangled in the catenary, and had to be dragged to the next station by an FL9 on work train duty._

_**Aiko and the Troublesome Trucks **was inspired from **Railway Series Shuffle**'s **Truck Trouble **and **Courtney's Trouble with Trucks**. Unlike Courtney, Aiko does not get to swim in the river._

_Walter and Richard are both named after Walter Rich, the head of the Delaware Ostego System, which purchased the Susquehanna in 1980. He passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2007._

_Of another note, Season Sixteen for Thomas has started. It once again proves why nostalgic critics won't miss Sharon Miller, but it does mark a milestone: Gordon has a six car express, longer than the Express in **Edward, Gordon, and Henry**._

_3_/1 – Error fixed, replaced Chyio with the correct Kayio.__

_So, Thomas is back on Sodor. What's left to do in Tokyo? More than you would imagine, so keep R&R, please, and continue to support my other works!_

_Ja ne! - KKid_


	3. Tokyo Tales

_Well, after being in the worst combination of both busy and lazy, I finally got around to updating this little thing. Hopefully it's to your liking, so I'll see you guys at the bottom. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>The Japanese Railway Series<strong>

**Book 3: Tokyo Tales**

**Dear Friends,**

**At the request of Thomas, I've taken on a correspondent in Tokyo to assist me in writing more stories about the Kanto Railway. However, since she happens to know all the ins and outs of Thomas's friends in Tokyo, I believe these stories will take on more of a human aspect. And speaking of his friends, a lot of the engines on Sodor make appearances despite the Japanese setting, including Gordon, Duck, Donald and Douglas, and more. However, when I read Ivo Hugh his appearance, he didn't seem to like it very much.**

"**You can't include that accident in there!" he said. "I have a reputation to uphold!"**

"**But ye lost it with that very same accident," remarked Duncan. There was no counter by Ivo Hugh, but he did shoot him a glare that could kill.**

**Alas, his misfortune was the only one that fit in that spot of the story, so that's how it will be. For his sake, the next time you see the Skarloey Railway, don't mention Ivo Hugh's accident.**

**The Author**

**Stories Include:**

**Mind your Surroundings!**

**Onii-san**

**Automotive Anecdotes**

**Sakoto Saves the Day**

* * *

><p><strong>Mind your Surroundings!<strong>

When Thomas returned from Tokyo, all of his friends wanted to hear about his adventures on the Kanto Railway. So, with the help of Sir Topham Hatt, all the engines gathered at Tidmouth Sheds that night. Thomas was positioned on the turntable, and was spun slowly around so that all the engines could hear about the workers and engines on the railway. What got the most attention were the stories about his human, god, and demon friends – Rin, Kaede, Sia, Nerine, Primula, and everyone else.

"Absolutely remarkable!" Henry exclaimed. "Gods and demons, coexisting together on one planet…!"

"I'll never believe it!" Gordon huffed. "To think, that there are worlds where no tracks exist for proud steam engines like me to run on…!"

"That explains why one of my passengers had strangely long ears!"

"Percy…will you please shut up for once…"

"I like how you handled the instances with Primula, Thomas," Duck commented. "I could never imagine how it feels, being all alone in the world, with no family to speak of…no offense to the E2 Class, of course."

"None taken," Thomas replied. "I know you were talking about Primula's situation. Though by that logic, you could say the same about Aiko and Chyio."

"Engines that were regauged to run on larger lines are indeed unique," Edward agreed. "They're pioneers on an island used to running things at their pace."

"You could say the same thing about us," James quipped. "I like those colorlight signals on the Other Railway in the rain and snow much better than those invisible old semaphores we have!"

"An' sume railweemen like yon Diesels an' electrics better than us!" Douglas snapped. James quickly shut up.

"Back on topic," Oliver interrupted, "do you think we'll ever be able to see your friends, Thomas?" Thomas was unsure himself, but he bravely smiled.

"I hope so, Oliver, I hope so…" Those same thoughts were being carried by Rin thousands of miles away. It was daytime in Tokyo, of course, as there was a time difference between Sodor and Japan.

'_I hope Thomas can be able to come back soon,' _he thought. _'Primula is more outspoken than usual, but she seems to be longing for him….Come to think of it, she had first come to Tokyo to look for me. Could it be that her encounter with Thomas has shifted her entire focus?'_ He was heading up a staircase towards the science labs, but was not paying attention to his surroundings. All of a sudden, he heard Mayumi coming down the hallway.

"Get out of the way! Move! Move! Move!"

"Huh?" Instinctively, he moved away from the middle of the hallway. Unfortunately, he moved right into her path, as they found out when the girl jumped down the stairs.

"N-No! Rin, don't move! Aaaaah!"

"What the he-!"

**!THUD!**

**!THUNK!**

"O-Ouch…M-Mayumi, since when are you a contestant for a human bird competition…?"

"I think I set a new personal record…" It was only after a few seconds did everyone's vision return to normal, allowing the two to realize that with Mayumi on top of Rin and her head being in the opposite end of his, the two were in a very awkward position on the hallway floor.

"U-Uh, hey Mayumi…get up, please…"

"H-Hang on, I banged my elbow pretty hard…"

"Well, get it better quick before Itsuki shows up!"

"I can't help it if I can't move! Just pretend that you're not looking and that everything's normal!" Rin hardly saw the situation as normal.

"A girl does not fly down the stairs regularly," he pointed out.

"Ahahaha…I was in a hurry. I skipped breakfast today."

"But if you start eating now, you'll be late to class for sure."

"Better than my stomach rumbling in class!" Rin rolled his eyes.

"Your pride will be perfectly fine. Is your elbow better yet?" A mischievous look entered Mayumi's eyes.

"Speaking of pride, I should get to see something good in return for you seeing something good," she said, and began to undo Rin's belt. Rin went flusher than ever.

"H-Hey! Stop!"

"Too late! 3 Since you hurt my pride, I'm obliged to hurt yours as well!"

"You know I can hurt yours even more from this position?-!" Rin exclaimed.

"You wouldn't dare! Girls are much more conscious about being watch than guys. Just close your eyes if you're embarrassed!"

"That's not the point! We're in school! Do you want each of us to expose each other in school for everyone to see?-!"

"Then I'll make it so that you're a biology experiment, the most legendary out of all ever conducted at the Academy!" Rin and Mayumi were so involved in their attempts to save themselves from embarrassment, that they didn't see Sia walk up to them with a look of shock and confusion.

"U-Uh, hey, what are you guys doing…?" Rin and Mayumi finally realized what they were doing, and simply stared blankly at their friend.

"…U-Umm…playing…doctor…?" Mayumi's coverup was not amusing to Rin at all.

"N-No we're not!" He quickly got out from under Mayumi, who could now get up on her own, and dashed away to the science labs, leaving Mayumi to explain to Sia what they had been doing.

"Er, i-it's not w-what it looked like!" Mayumi stammered. "Y-You guys still h-have first dibs on him!" Later, she and Rin saw Aiko waiting at the junction, and told her about what happened. The Japanese engine had been pulling cars of debris from the new line to the airport all day, and was heading back for one final load.

"…Can I say that what you did was incredibly awkward?" she asked after hearing what had happened.

"Yeah," Rin answered, "after we looked back on it."

"You kids have to be more aware of your surroundings," the Japanese Engine admonished. "When you become focused too much on one thing, and let the rest of reality fly by you, you tend to get into a bit of a jam when you come back into focus, whether it's through embarrassment or through an accident."

"Did you figure that out through your own experiences?" Mayumi asked.

"Of course not!" Aiko responded. "I've never been in nothing more than minor parts failures throughout my lifetime, and those you can't avoid easily. All of what I just said was from the careful observations of others. You wouldn't see me in an accident! Now if you will excuse me, I need to get going." Aiko left, using the Sunlight Way line to reach the mainline.

"That attitude will get her into such a predicament some day," Rin noted.

"Totally." The route to the loadout site required the use of several different commuter line routes, as the job was a contract from a new operator. At one point, Aiko would have to reverse directions to reach the line that would take her to her destination. Since the commuter railways did not allow Mr. Soroi's engines to run in reverse for long distances, Aiko would have to wait at the junction with the commuter lines for a back engine. The back engine would not only help the train on the return journey, but also would act as the lead engine for the switchback operation and the return journey.

Aiko pulled into the junction station on the passing track, and waited for the back engine. In front of her, at the end of the station, was a level crossing. The lights were flashing, indicating that a train was approaching. Based on the track alignments, it was coming from the secondary line that Aiko was to take, which curved away from the main commuter line, out of sight behind some sheds. However, the Japanese Pacific noticed something was wrong.

"The gates aren't coming down," she realized. "They must be stuck!" Vehicle traffic on the road stopped; they knew better than to cross a rail line when the lights were flashing. However, one pedestrian continued to walk towards the line. He was wearing earphones and listening to music, and could not hear the warning gates. Already, Aiko and her crew could see the commuter train rounding the bend. It was slowing down to make its station stop, but was still going much too fast to stop in time.

"He's going to get run over if he doesn't look where he's going!" Her driver shouted. He reached for the whistle cord, and gave it a yank.

"Peeeeep! Stop!" the long whistle blast startled the man so much that he fell backwards in fright, just as the EMU thundered right through where he had been standing moments ago. Both the man and the EMU wore faces that said it all. Neither one had expected the other to be there at the same time. The man watched as the EMU nervously glided into the station. It was too shocked to even say "thank you" to Aiko. The man, meanwhile, simply turned around, and hurried across towards a nearby overpass that he could walk over.

"Well, disaster averted this time," Aiko's fireman sighed, wiping his brow with a rag. "Glad we didn't need to see anything above and beyond the T rating.

"I'm just glad it wasn't me," Aiko said. "Otherwise, Rin and Mayumi would never let me live it down." Just then, she felt a slight jerk as something bumped the train from behind.

"Peep! Peep!" Wilbert whistled. "I'm here to be your extra!" Aiko was glad that Wilbert had arrived, and whistled back.

"Good thing you're here! Now let's get this job over with for today, without incident!"

"Right-o, Aiko!" Wilbert set off for the construction site, with Aiko giggling on how Wilbert's statement had rhymed. Their trip to the loadout, however, was not going to become uneventful just yet. Along the line were many grade crossings. Each one brought the same risk of an accident as the crossing at the station.

"Good time, good time," Aiko remarked, as they made way towards another crossing. She blew her whistle, and began to thunder over the pavement, when…

**!CRASH!**

"OW!" Aiko cried. "Something just hit me!" Her driver looked back, and quickly shut off steam in preparation of easing the train to a stop. Wilbert, on the back end, could feel the force of the train increase in his buffers.

"Wonder what could be the matter?" he wondered. He soon found out. As he passed the crossing, Wilbert saw a car parked close to the line. Its front was mangled, and its driver was getting out in a daze.

"Bless me!" Wilbert exclaimed. "Did that car just-?-!"

"I think it did," his driver replied. The train was brought to a stop at the next bend in the line, so that they did not have to block any other crossings or break the train in two. Then the guard and Wilbert's crew walked over to Aiko and explained what they saw.

"The car just ignored the warnings and drove straight into Aiko," the guard said. "When he got out, he had a cell phone in his hand. Likely, he was talking or texting just before the accident, and wasn't looking at the road ahead."

"He's lucky he wasn't driving any faster," Aiko's driver stated. "Otherwise, his car wouldn' t be the only thing in a wreck." Aiko, who was more bruised than broken, snorted in disgust.

"To think, me, of all engines, stopped by someone else's carelessness! At least it wasn't our fault, or I might have been called out for it!" This was not to be the case. The next day, Aiko puffed up to the signal at the National Verbena Academy with a goods train for the Transfer Yard. To her surprise, Rin and Mayumi were waiting for her.

"_Konichiwa_, Aiko!" Rin greeted. "How're your siderods feeling today?"

"They're felling fit and better than ever!" the Japanese Engine replied.

"That's good to hear," Mayumi said. "I wouldn't want our perfect engine to be hurt that much from her first accident." Aiko blushed.

"Hu-wha?-"

"Yeah," Rin smirked. "You should have kept a better look-out on your surroundings, Aiko."

"But-but it wasn't my fault!" Aiko spluttered. "That car rammed into-!"

"No excuses, Aiko!" Mayumi snapped, trying hard to suppress a smile. "You should have blown your whistle a bit louder. Now we careful people have to go to class now."

"Don't try to find any cars now!" Rin suggested. The two friends laughed, and left Aiko to her thoughts.

"Hey! Come back here!" As Aiko waited for the signal to change, she brooded over how she was going to have a nice little chat with Wilbert the next time she saw him.

* * *

><p><strong>Onii-san<strong>

Donald and Douglas, the Scottish Twins, are, by nature, brothers. As all brothers go, they do get into arguments sometimes, but regardless of the issue, they both love to help each other out on their work, doing the jobs that nobody else wants to do.

One day, Donald and Douglas pulled into the junction with the rubbish train. Thomas was waiting on the other platform with rubbish cars from the branchline.

"Right on time," Thomas remarked. "I haven't even begun to notice the smell of the garbage."

"Eh, ye're jest gettin' used te the aroma," Douglas quipped. "We heard tell aboot ye haulin' the rubbish trains in Tokyo, so ye might jest wanna run trash trains moor." Donald and Douglas were uncoupled, and pulled ahead past the junction switch.

"You've got me there," Thomas laughed. The points were changed, and Thomas shunted the trash cars onto the main line. Once he backed away and cleared the switch, Donald and Douglas backed down onto their trains, pushing the new cars to the front of the line.

"Say Thomas?" Donald asked as they were coupled up to the train. "Is there a word en Japunese that means twin? Ya know, like eff yon twin engines like Douggie and meself were dere?"

"Well, I never heard anyone mention it," Thomas admitted, "But there is onee-chan and an one-sama for a sister, and a onii-san and onii-sama for a brother. Search me if you want to find out what those honorifics at the end mean."

"Methinks that's sumthing to look into next time," Donald chuckled. "Or maybe we can go and find for ourselves." Just then, the signal dropped.

"We be seein' you, Thomas," Douglas said, as they accelerated away. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" Thomas called, and watched the twins puff away. "Come to think of it, Walt and Richie are twins from America. I wonder how they are doing…" He then went to complete his other jobs for the day.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, Walt was shunting lines of cars in the yard. Walt was a large switcher, able to move over forty cars over the yard's flat tracks at a time, which was handy when the majority of the trains run by Aiko and Kayio were around half that length, if not slightly more. He shunted the last of Kayo's cars into line behind her. A caboose, the American equivalent of a brakevan, was already attached to the cut. Walt's fireman uncoupled the American switcher from the train.

"Peep-peep! All set to go! Have a safe journey!"

"Peep-peep! I will, thank you!" Kayio chuffed off down the line, heading for the southern industries.

"We've done good work so far today," Walt's driver praised. "Let's take a break for lunch now." They took a short train to Sunlight Way, and the driver and fireman left Walt on a siding, entering a nearby café.

'Time for a snooze,' Walt thought. Before he closed his eyes, a small girl with purple hair, who was carrying a ragged stuffed cat, walked into view. Walt recognized her instantly. "You're Primula, correct?"

"Yes." Primula's face was as blank as ever, but her voice was one of curiosity. "And you are Walter, the switching engine from Japan."

"You've certainly done your homework on my identity," Walt complimented. "And please, call me Walt."

"Alright, Walt. You also have a twin brother, is that right?"

"That's right. Richie was built right next to me in the Baldwin Works about a century ago."

"Then you can probably help me with a question I have."

"It depends, but shoot anyway." Primula averted her eyes, something that she would have never done before.

"…What is it like to be a brother?" The question confused Walt.

"What do you mean?" Then he remembered Nerine. She was a member of the Demon race, just like Primula, and she seemed to know the most about the little girl according to Aiko and Sakoto. "Could it be you want to be closer to Nerine?" Primula shook her head.

"Not Nerine. Rin."

"Rin?"

"Y-Yes..." Walt thought for a moment.

"I see," he said. "If I remember, you don't have any blood relations, and the closest thing to a family would be Nerine. You want some proof that Rin's not a stranger, some kind of connection to him that you don't have with Nerine." Primula stared for a second at the Switcher Twin.

"Y-Yes, that's right." She answered. Walt chuckled.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. As far as I can tell, what Rin's doing now is what a brother would do normally. Though I think in your case, the correct Japanese term for it is _onii-san_ or something like that. In fact, out of all the people I've seen in the hundred-plus years I've been chuffing around, Rin's the nicest person I've seen. You should be lucky you have him around every day." At that moment, the yard manager appeared, along with Walt's driver and fireman. "What's the matter?"

"Wilbert derailed while banking a train down the electric main," the yard manager explained. "We can't call a crane in with those overhead wires, and commuter trains are getting backed up both ways."

"You'll need to pull Wilbert back onto the rails, old boy," his driver told him.

"There's not a moment to lose then!" Walt stated. He looked at Primula. "Can Primula come too?"

"Huh?"

"With what we were talking about before, I have a feeling that she may need an actual demonstration. Seeing what we talked about in action may be better than just explaining it to her. You don't mind that, driver, do you?"

"Of course not," he replied. "It's not like Thomas trying to take a half-dozen people in his cab."

"Then come on aboard, Primula," Walt said. The little girl was hesitant at first, but eventually, she walked over to his cab. Primula was helped aboard the train, and they set off to collect supplies and some workmen. They found Wilbert lying upright in a rice field at a bend in the tracks, not far from where Aiko had had her accident. Kayio was stopped several hundred feet down the tracks at the next station with an empty debris train. Because of a lack of crossover switches, over half of the double-track line to the next junction had been single-tracked by this derailment, and commuter trains, in bunches of four or more in quick succession, alternated directions.

"At least Wilbert's still on top," Walt's fireman sighed. "Otherwise, they'd have to call in a heavy-duty roadway crane and a flatbed." Their flatbed had been loaded down with fresh wooden sleepers. The workmen hurriedly unloaded the flatbed, and laid the ties in a line towards Wilbert, forming a wooden bed that led back to the line.

"Primula, here's where you come in," Walt said. "Grab the chain lying in my tender, and wrap it around my front knuckle. It doesn't have to be tight; driver will make sure it stays on properly."

"Ok." Primula didn't need to search long for the metal chain, and had quickly wrapped it around Walt's front coupling.

"That's good," he praised. "Now connect it to Wilbert's front coupling hook." The demon purplette walked over to Wilbert. The Forest Engine looked at Primula, and gave a weak smile.

"I wish you were able to see me in better straights, young girl," he said. "I wasn't able to get in my best suit, though I did get a nice helping of food here." The engine laughed, which made Primula smile. By the time she was finished and had returned to Walt, the other end of the chain was secured tightly, and the rescue operation was able to commence.

"Come on, pull!" Walt groaned, as his throttle opened wide. His wheels slipped fiercely on the rails, black smoke poured out of his funnel, and his face went as red as a cherry blossom in bloom. However, Wilbert wasn't budging. "I…can't do…it!"

"It's no good!" the driver said at last, and closed the throttle. Primula looked at him in surprise.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Wilbert's just too heavy," the driver explained. "He must be caught in the rice field more than we thought."

"Now what?" the fireman asked. "It'll take hours by the time a crane is called, and Kayio is too powerful for the job; she could pull Wilbert into a pylon, and then we'll be in all sorts of a mess!" Just then, they heard a shrill, deep-toned whistle from behind them. Tender-first, and stopping on the other track next to them, was Richie.

"Brother!" Walt gasped in relief.

"I was called over to take over banking for Kayio," Richie stated. "But from the looks of things, I think you need my help more, Walt."

The two engines returned to the last station. While Richie was switched over to the other line, Walt left his cars at the platform. Then, facing each other, the two engines puffed back to the site of the derailment. The chain was wrapped around Richie's tender coupling, and they were ready to start again.

"Are you ready, brother?" Richie asked.

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Walt answered. "Let's get this done!" The throttles were opened up, and they pulled hard on the chain. Wilbert instantly lurched forward on the first tug of the chain, and was slowly, but carefully, brought back to the line. Within fifteen minutes, the Forest Engine was back on the rails.

"We did it!" Richie cheered.

"Yes, _we_ did it," Walt agreed. "Together." He hoped Primula was paying attention to that part. Fortunately for the switcher, she was. Wilbert was still able to steam, but just in case, he still needed to be taken to the Works to be inspected.

"I'm replacing Wilbert as the back engine, so I need you to take him back to the works for me," Richie stated.

"You can pull Wilbert with ease now," Walt's driver said. "With his wheels back on solid steel, he'll be able to roll just as well as any freight car does."

"You heard the man, brother," Walt answered. "We're more than happy to oblige."

"It might be better to hurry," added the fireman. "Rin might be worried about a certain family member of his." Primula looked down at her feet, hiding the look on her face from view. "That is really too cute…" They coupled Wilbert and Walt together on the other track so that Richie could go couple up to Kayio's train.

"The workmen aren't done cleaning up yet," Richie added, "so when we come back, we'll pick them up."

"Sounds good," Walt replied. "See you in the sheds!"

"Goodbye, brother!" Richie called back, and he steamed off to bank Kayio's train.

About a half an hour later, Rin was watching television in the living room after dinner. It was his favorite way to spend the evenings, being able to mull in his thoughts with the world at his fingertips. Kaede had just brought him tea when a trio of short whistle blasts were heard outside.

"Three blasts mean stop…" Rin noted.

"I wonder what could be happening," Kaede said. She went to the door. When she opened it, she was met with an embrace from an unlikely source. "Primula?-!" This got Rin up to see what was going on. Primula was blushing bashfully, her two stuffed cats held close to her chest, as Kaede stared into her shy, violet eyes. It was something he never saw before from the purplette.

"You…you're Primula...right?" Walt, who was watching this, coughed.

"Unless you know of any other purple haired demon children who carry a pair of cats around…" Both Kaede and Rin looked at each other, then back to Primula.

"What's wrong?" Rin asked. "Did you catch a cold or something?"

"No, I-I'm okay," she answered. This triggered a panic between the two teens.

"Kaede, call an ambulance! No, scratch that, call Forbessi instead! He'll know more about this!"

"_H-Hai!"_ Kaede ran off to find her phone.

"Eh?" Primula was confused. "What?"

"Just wait here, Primula!" Rin said. "We'll get an ice pack now, and Forbessi in a few minutes!"

"Got it!" Kaede shouted from inside the house. "I'll do it right away!" Walt's crew was bawling inside his cab. They thought the scene was funny, but the Switcher Twin did not.

"For the love of Uncle Sam…" Walt groaned. "HOLD IT!-!" He yelled so loud and long that he burst a safety valve, stopping all of the chaos inside the Fuoyo household. As his crew was bringing down his boiler pressure, it also brought Forbessi and Nerine into the street.

"What's all this noise?" Forbessi complained. "I was making the nicest poached egg when this shrill whistle comes out of nowhere, and makes me drop it on the floor!"

"Papa, nobody out here cares," Nerine stated.

"So…so cold…"

"Nothing is wrong with Primula," Walt finally said, as he was cooled off enough to speak. He explained the last few hours to the group.

"So you wanted to think of me as a brother, Primula?" Rin asked. The purplette nodded.

"Yes. As…as my onii-san…" She looked down at her feet bashfully. "I know we only met a few days ago…but…" she stopped. Rin had placed his hand on her head. She looked up, and saw that he was smiling.

"Of course you can," he replied, smiling. "You don't need my permission to do that, imoto-chan."

"Ah…" Primula's face melted into a smile so attractive, even Wilbert had a hard time recognizing who the demon girl with purple hair was.

Kaede couldn't help but smile. "Primula, you are so cute when you smile! Even as a girl, I'm fascinated!"

"Eh…ah…" Primula suddenly looked bashful. "That's mean, Kaede Onee-chan!" Kaede was caught off guard, as well as Forbessi.

'_Primula's like a different person now!' _he thought. It was at that time that Walt had to leave, giving two whistle blasts to say "Goodbye!" The King of the Demons watched him steam away. _'I guess these trains have more of an emotional value than I thought…'_

* * *

><p><strong>Automotive Anecdotes<strong>

The Kanto Railway makes its living by hauling freight around the docks and industries of Tokyo Bay. There are no scheduled passenger trains, but, from time to time, the line runs an excursion to showcase different parts of the line.

One morning, Primula was collecting the mail from the Fuoyo residence mailbox. One of the articles, a flashy advertisement, caught her eye. She read it quickly, then scurried back into the house, and showed the ad to Rin and Kaede.

"A railway excursion?" Kaede read.

"On the Kanto Railway?" Rin added. "Isn't that where Aiko and Walt work?" Primula nodded.

"Yes. I want to see if I can meet them again," the purplette said. "And, I felt happy when I was riding Walt the other day. You don't mind, do you?" Rin smiled.

"Of course not!" he replied. "We like the engines as much as you do, Primula."

"Besides, this is the first time that you've asked to go somewhere since you started living with us," added Kaede. "We're obliged to make our little sister's first request, aren't we?" Primula smiled.

"Right!" The excursion was the next day. Rin asked his friends at school if they wanted to go, but Nerine was the only one to have reciprocating interest. So, the next morning, the four made their way to the main yards, where a solitary platform existed on the main line. On the adjacent track, work was being done to build another platform, which would be constructed over a yard track that bordered the main line. The existing platform was crowded with many people. Some were families who had brought their children to see a train, while others were older gentlemen carrying briefcases and notepads.

"Talk about your mixed bag of people," Rin murmured. "Is this a family trip event or a business outing?" Walt pulled up alongside, pulling six silver, squarish coaches.

"It's a little bit of both, Rin," he said. "Good morning, Primula."

"_Konichiwa_, Walt!" Primula greeted.

"What do you mean by both?" Nerine asked.

"Mr. Soroi likes to run these trips to get our name out there to the public, so that they can better appreciate how a bygone era was like. At the same time, it's an open house for customers. You see those gentlemen over there?"

"The ones in the suits with briefcases?" Kaede asked.

"The very ones. The trip today goes to the Works, where my twin is right now. Most of these men are government inspectors or lineside customers, but from what we engines have gathered, one of them is from England, and is looking to build a brand new engine based on some spare parts and an extra boiler."

"A new engine?" Rin was surprised. "Why here?"

"Because we're one of the few that can handle it. There aren't many places to build or refurbish a new engine quickly since the Works in China closed down a few years back. Strasburg, Scranton, and Crovans Gate are among the last few places that accept off-line work, and those are already swamped with existing work. If we win this contract, we'll be able to put our names out there to attract more rebuilds and construction projects from all over the world."

"And more business to Tokyo in the process," Rin added.

"Are you pulling the train today?" Primula asked.

"Oh, no," Walt answered. "This trip has a third part to it. It's Kayio's first passenger run since her rebuild. Think of it as her 'welcome back' present." Walt scurried off, uncoupled from the coaches.

"He didn't even say goodbye," Primula said sadly.

"I think that these engines don't see anything as goodbye," Nerine pondered thoughtfully. "They know they'll see you when they're done with their work. So think of it as 'it isn't goodbye yet.'" That made Primula feel a bit better.

"Well said, Nerine," Rin complimented, making Nerine blush.

"Oh no, it was nothing…"

"Let's head on into the train," Kaede suggested. "It looks like we might not get a seat I we don't hurry." Indeed, when they got in, the coaches were packed. The group managed to get an entire row across, sitting Primula and Kaede on one side, and Kaede and Rin on another. However, the cars sat two people on one side, and three on another. As they got underway after Kayio had been coupled up to the train, a tall, thin gentleman came up to Rin.

"Excuse me, sir, but is this seat being held for someone?" Rin looked at the man. He wore a black suit and grey trousers, and held a black bowler hat in his hands. He had a full head of black hair, but the rough Japanese he spoke and the large eyes that were behind his yellow glasses gave away the fact that he wasn't Japanese.

"No, it's fine," Rin said to the man. "And you can speak English to us if you want, we all understand."

"Oh, thank heavens, boy!" The man took a seat next to Rin. "I was busy talking to the workers here, and before I knew it, the train almost left without me!"

"That would have been terrible," Nerine stated. "A train shouldn't leave any of its passengers behind." The man stared at Nerine for a few seconds.

"Oh my, you must be Nerine, the Princess of the Demons!" he exclaimed. Nerine blushed for the second time in a span of a few minutes.

"Ah, it's nothing special, really…"

"No, no! I'm really honored to be in the presence of royalty again!"

"Wait, did you say again?" Kaede asked.

"Yes. I was Sir Topham Hatt's guest for a number of royal events on -."

"You know Sir Topham Hatt?" Rin asked in surprise. "How do you get to do that?" The man looked apologetically at the group.

"Oh, so sorry! I must have let my introductions down. My name is Mr. Peregrine Percival, the manager of the Skarloey Railway."

"The Skarloey Railway?" Primula asked. "What's that?"

"Wait, I've heard about it in a travel magazine," Kaede stated. "Apparently, it's the oldest active railway on the Island of Sodor. It runs on rails smaller than even the National Rail network, and takes passengers on a tour around a lake and the scenic countryside, making scenic stops along the way. Trains are pulled by nearly a dozen engines, including Duke, the most famous narrow-gauged engine on Sodor, and the line's namesake engine, Skarloey, who's over one hundred and fifty years old.

"One hundred and fifty?-!" Nerine gasped in surprise. "That's over two lifetimes!"

"It seems your knowledge of my line is very good, miss," Mr. Percival applauded. "You are correct!"

"But if you're running a railway in England, why are you taking a train ride in Japan?" Rin proposed.

"I'm here to study how your friend Mr. Soroi runs his railway, in the hopes to reapply the same techniques back at home. You see, the Skarloey Railway doesn't make a tremendous amount of money, enough that we pay the bills and then some, but not enough to make necessary improvements when needed. If I can find a way to save money here, it will surely help in the long run." Presently, the train ran over a long bridge over Tokyo Bay. "My, I'm surprised at the amount of bridges here.

"A lot of Tokyo has been built into the bay," Rin explained. "To keep seagoing vessels going to where they need to be, we have a lot of bridges to clear the waterways."

"This bridge is the furthest out over the bay," Kaede added.

"But wouldn't a few daring motorists try to take advantage of that and use the bridge as a shortcut?" Mr. Percival asked with worry.

"I don't think anyone in Tokyo would be that daring," Rin proposed. However, he would soon be proven wrong.

"Almost there, girl!" Kayio's driver called out to her. "A nice coast down to the Works awaits us now!"

"That's great!" Kayio replied. "I could use a drink when we get there!" As they crested the top of the bridge, Kayio say something on the tracks ahead, partway to the bottom. It looked like a small vehicle, and it was parked right in front of her. "STOP!" Her driver shut off steam and applied the brakes, but it was too late to stop. She pounded into the small vehicle, knocking it off onto the side of the bridge. The Japanese Consolidation came to a stop a few hundred feet away.

The passengers, who were confused at the noise and sudden stop, opened up windows, and looked outside to see what was the matter. "It looks like an all-terrain vehicle," Nerine stated.

"Someone must have been driving up here, but got themselves stuck on the tracks," Mr. Percival guessed.

"Has it ever happened on the Skarloey Railway before?" asked Primula. Mr. Percival laughed, and shook his head.

"No, but something similar did happen to Ivo Hugh earlier this year," he said, sighing with a smile.

"Who's Ivo Hugh?" Rin asked.

"He's the newest engine on the line, built about twenty-something years ago, before I took on the job. He's one of the smoothest riding engines on the line, but that reputation went to his head."

"How so?" Kaede wondered.

"He never had an accident, and he began bragging to the others how safe and reliable he was. Until this winter…"

_Flashback_

_It had been a cold winter this year. Snow and ice were abundant everywhere. Everyone was bundled up in their warmest clothes, water towers were frozen over and unusable and sand was in high demand for the icy rails._

_One winter afternoon, Ivo Hugh was to take the afternoon train up the line. He was waiting at Crovans Gate for the connecting train from Tidmouth, but the train was nowhere to be found. They were already ten minutes late because a frozen switch had sent Ivo into a line of open coaches, and now Ivo was impatiently simmering next to the platform._

"_We are a guaranteed connection," Ivo muttered, "but we're making our other passengers late!" At last, James puffed into the station._

"_Sorry," he apologized. "Snow had forced a signal down at the viaduct, and we had to be flagged through." _

"_Flag my funnel!" Ivo grumbled. "It shouldn't have me holding up my passengers that have already boarded!" The passengers quickly changed trains, the guard blew his whistle, and Ivo Hugh chuffed out of the station._

"_Come-on-we're-late! Come-on-we're-late!" he panted._

"_We're-coming-no-hurry! We're-coming-no-hurry!" clattered the coaches. Just after Cros-ny-Curin, a roadway runs over the line on the bridge. The road has to make a sharp turn on one side in order to make a perpendicular crossing of the railway. A small wooden fence was placed as a flimsy guard rail to protect people from falling towards the right-of-way, but it would most certainly not stop a car._

_As Ivo Hugh approached the bridge, a lorry appeared on the roadway leading to the bridge. Ivo was always friendly to the lorry drivers; he would give them a "Peep-peep!" of his whistle, and the lorry driver would give a "Honk-honk!" of his horn. This lorry had two trailers, something that Ivo had never seen before._

"_Peep-Peep! Good afternoon!" Ivo Hugh couldn't have known that the lorry driver was not used to steam trains, and had been driving all day to get his load to FFarquhar. The whistle startled the driver so much that he accidentally stepped on the gas pedal. The driver tried to stop, but the lorry skidded on the ice, and drove straight through the barrier. The driver wasn't hurt, as the lorry simply drove down the embankment and across the Skarloey Railway, but its trailer came to rest directly over the tracks._

"_Owah!" Ivo Hugh shouted. His driver applied the brakes, but the train was going too fast to stop in time. The train jerked to an awkward halt as it hit the trailer. "Ouch!" The trailer was pushed a few feet down the line, before they came to a halt. Ivo Hugh was more bruised than broken._

_Skarloey had to come and bring the train back to Crovans Gate. Ivo Hugh was set aside to be looked over, and, after finding nothing out of the ordinary, he was soon back at work. However, the other engines found fun in this._

"_You're not one of us until you've had your first accident!" joked Sir Handle the next day. Ivo Hugh took no notice, and huffed straight for work._

_End Flashback_

"A lesson in humility for Ivo, that was," Mr. Percival finished. Two short blasts were heard outside. "Ah, looks like we're underway again." The rest of the excursion was uneventful. The visitors got a tour of the Works, and were provided a free meal too. Primula also got a chance to talk to Richie. By mid-afternoon, the excursion was finished, and Rin, Kaede, Primula, and Nerine were back home.

"That sure was a fun day," Kaede said as they reached their house.

"Yeah," Nerine added. "It was a completely different view, seeing the scenery from the windows of a train."

"There's something that's bothering me, though," Rin said.

"What is it?" Primula asked.

"That Percival guy didn't rejoin the train back from the Works," he stated. "I never saw him on the platform, and believe me, someone like him would be easy to spot. Do you think maybe he's the person that Walt had said wanted an engine?"

"I don't think so," Nerine answered. "He seemed too relaxed, not like those other men on the platform. Besides, he did tell us the reason he was here, didn't he?"

"Maybe," Kaede pondered, "but I can't help to think there was something more…" But that's for another story.

* * *

><p><strong>Sakoto Saves the Day<strong>

One morning, Duck rumbled into the Big Station at Tidmouh with Alice and Mirabel, his two Great Western autocoaches, with the 8:00 service from Arlesburgh. The morning run had been relatively quiet, as most mornings were. At the station, however, the quiet morning air was being rudely interrupted by Thomas and Gordon. The two were arguing loudly to each other.

"Huh!" Gordon huffed. "I would never allow someone else's hands on my throttle other than a driver's!"

"She is a driver!" Thomas said crossly. "You just won't acknowledge her as one!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Duck snapped. "Now what's gotten both of your boiler pressures rising this early?"

"Gordon's taken offense at Thomas's relief driver!" Annie chirped.

"The one from Japan, Sakoto!" Clarabel added.

"I would never allow a woman's hand to drive me!" Gordon said firmly. "Running a railroad is a job for a man!"

"Rubbish!" Thomas countered. "We have Emily and Molly helping you Mainline engines, Rosie as the station pilot at Vickarstown, and women stationmasters, porters, and conductors all over our railway! All of them do a splendid job of keeping the North Western Railway in working order!"

"A driver's a driver, no matter what gender they are," Duck said. "They're judged on how well they handle an engine, not on what bathroom they go in." Gordon took no notice.

"Well, I say that a woman driver is an inproper driver!" And he puffed away with the Express.

"Bossy boiler!" Thomas complained. "Gordon needs to learn a thing or two about common sense!" Thomas then left for his Branchline. Clarabel gave Duck a forlorn look of "This is going to be a very long journey for me" as they departed.

"Thomas forgets that he's talking about the same engine that purposely stopped on a hill and ran himself into a ditch," Duck told Alice and Mirabel. "Still, it would be nice if Thomas had anything to throw back at Gordon. All we've been told about this Sakoto person is that she helped stopped that nasty runaway and assisted in saving Primula, but both of those were directed by Thomas and other engines." All the way over in Japan, Sakoto was thinking the same thing. She was walking down the sidewalks of Sunlight Way, her head low and her mind in thought.

'_What am I doing wrong? I've been working for Mr. Soroi ever since he started his little steam endeavor, but all I've ever been was a relief driver…Is it because I'm a woman? I know that railroading is more of a man's job, but that doesn't mean that I should be left aside as the other men are given promotion after promotion…Maybe I should –'_

"_Ohayou, _Sakoto!" The green haired railway worker was knocked out of her thoughts by Rin's friendly greeting.

"Oh, hi Rin…"

"Is something wrong?" the raven haired teen asked. "You seem a bit down?" They went over to an outdoor café, and sat down.

"Well…it's my job. The thing is, I've put in long, hard hours on the Kanto Railway as a relief driver. I was hoping that when Walt and Richie came over, I might finally have my chance to have an actual assigned locomotive to run every day, and stop being the fill-in when someone has the flu. However…I was passed over. I just don't understand why I'm being kept where I am…" Rin thought about her situation for a while. Finally, he came to a conclusion.

"It's probably your versatility," he said.

"But what does versatility have to do in this?"

"You speak both Japanese and English. You have a woman's touch to a predominantly male job. You're willing to go the extra mile when others would give up, like with rescuing Primula and saving Aiko from a nasty accident."

"Yeah." Sakoto sighed. "But it was Kayio who suggested pulling Primula up with the chain, and Thomas had to save both of us when we ran out of track."

"The most important part was that you were there," Rin countered. "You were the hands that helped get the chain to Primula, and you slowed Aiko down enough that Thomas was able to scoot in front and stop the train. Think of it this way: if you hadn't been in those roles, we would be presented with a very different outcome than what we have now."

"As in someone else getting the credit…" Sakoto gave a small smile. "Thanks, Rin. It's nice that I have that off my chest now."

"No problem." Presently, Kayio was steaming through the street with a long goods train, but she was slowing down. Not far away from the outdoor café, she came to a complete stop.

"Something's not right," Sakoto noted. "The Sunlight Way warehouses aren't until further. Trains don't stop at this part of the street."

"Let's go check it out." Rin led the way over to the stopped train. The driver and fireman had both gotten out of the cab, and were arguing. The driver had a white mask over his face.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine! Let's finish the journey to the yards, and then I can take a rest!"

"You are not fooling around with me! You almost collapsed at the throttle! I'm not firing until we get a relief!"

"Excuse me, boys," Sakoto introduced herself. "What seems to be the problem?" The fireman was relieved to see her.

"Thank goodness, Sakoto! You've never shined more like an angel than today! My colleague here, as you can probably guess, is ill. We made it well to the Transfer Yards, but he just couldn't make it on the way back. I can't both drive and fire, so can you help?"

"Versatility," Rin whispered, loud enough so that Sakoto could hear.

"No problem!" Sakoto answered. "Just tell me where we're going, and I'll get us there."

"Thanks!" The fireman looked like he had a large load off of his back. "We're headed to the Works to dump this train, and then head back to the yards for a spell." The two got into the cab.

"See you around, Sakoto!" Rin called. "Good luck!"

"Thanks, Rin!" Sakoto called back, as she released Kayio's brake, opened the throttle, and set off on the journey. The Japanese Consolidation was happy that Sakoto was on board.

"She certainly a much steadier hand on the throttle than my driver had today," she noted.

"Alright, Kayio!" Sakoto called out. "Let's go for a nice quick run up the hill. That way, we can coast nicely onto the mainline from here!"

"Sounds good!" Kayio responded. "More steam, more steam!" So Sakoto opened up the throttle a little wider, and the train went faster. They were already up to track speed by the time they reached the curved hill, the same one that Aiko had had a runaway with the Troublesome Trucks a few weeks ago. They began to slow down for the curve, and just like Sakoto had predicted, they were at the top within a minute.

As they began coasting down the hill, Kayio thought she saw something on the track ahead, near the bottom of the hill. It looked like a basket of sorts. Suddenly, she saw something move inside the basket. She was too far away to tell what it was, but she knew that it wouldn't be good if they ran it over.

"STOP! STOP!" she cried. "There's something on the tracks ahead!" Sakoto leaned out of the cab, and saw the basket.

"I see it, but I'm not sure we can stop in time!" Sakoto said this as her hands flew over first to the brake, then the throttle. She applied the first and shut off the second, then looked outside again. The fireman joined her.

"It's no good!" the fireman decided. "With this hill and this heavy load, we won't be able to stop in time!" Suddenly, an idea came into Sakoto's mind.

"We won't have to! Take over the throttle!"

"Huh, what are you-?" Before he could get an answer, Sakoto had climbed out of the cab window, and was on the running board, inching over to the front of the train. "Are you crazy?-!"

"It's either that or kill whatever's in that basket!" she called back, and quickened her pace. The train was slowing down, but was still going much too fast to stop in time. At last, Sakoto had climbed over to the pilot. Kayio was amazed that she had even been there, but more pressing matters were present.

"We're almost there!" she cried. Sakoto wasted no time. She hooked her feet around a metal bar on Kayio's front, and lay down along her front coupler. Her hands were outstretched over the track. As the train reached the basket, her hands scooped up the basket, snatching it away from being run over.

"Got it!" She cheered. In her enthusiasm, though, her feet lost their grip on the bar, and she began to slip forward. "A-Agh!"

"Sakoto!" Kayio gasped. The green haired girl was about to fall forward when something grabbed onto her hair.

"AAUGH!-!" Sakoto was in a lot of pain, but she was quickly pulled up onto her feet. "What in the name of-?-!"

"You didn't think I was going to let you play hero without a little backup now, were you?" the fireman said. Sakoto smiled.

"I knew there was a reason that I let my hair grow out. Thanks."

"WAAAH!-!" The three looked inside the basket to find a young baby.

"Of all the things in the world…" Kayio said. "A baby?-!" Sakoto looked at her watch.

"Who's going to believe that when we show up late at the Works?"

Dawn soon arrived in Tidmouth. The engines were getting fired up for the day's work. The firelighters and crew like listening to the morning news, so a television had been set up inside the room. Presently, it was wheeled in front of Duck and Gordon. As the nominal headlines came to a close, the station cut to a film clip they had recently received.

"…_and take a look at this film here from a warehouse security camera in Japan. Someone had left a baby inside a basket on the local rail line, and watch now as the train's driver is on the footplate, and actually gets ahold of the basket before the train could be run over! Unbelievable! The driver, whose first name we have found out to be Sakoto, was awarded with a trip to the city's mayor and a raise from her superintendent. The baby's parents are unknown. More news and weather in two minutes…"_

Duck eyed Gordon, who seemed to be in a state of surprise. "Well, I think that wins yesterday's argument, but not for you." Gordon remained respectfully silent.

News travels fast on Sodor, and well before the end of the day, word of Sakoto's heroics found its way to Thomas.

"That's just like her," he said. "She might not always get the recognition for it, but she's as useful and special as any engine." Coming from Thomas, that is some very high praise.

* * *

><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_I don't need to tell you the inspirations for **Mind your Surroundings!**, though such incidents happen more in crosswalks than on railroad crossings. I hope that none of my readers have such close calls._

_The Junction Station is based on Keisei Tsudanuma Station in Chiba, and the curve that Aiko stops on is located just past Takanekodan Station_

_**Automotive Anecdotes** has two inspirations. Kayio's accident had happened in the early 2000s, when an ATV got stuck on a Northeast Corridor bridge, and was hit by an Acela Express. Ivo Hugh's accident was based off a near-accident in 2011, when a car broke through a barrier in England, and was nearly hit by an excursion train. In either incidence, nobody was seriously hurt._

_Believe it or not, **Sakoto Saves the Day** happened as well! In the steam era Erie Railroad, a coal drag came across a baby left on the tracks in front of them. The heavy train didn't allow them to stop in time, but the engineer headed over to the front of the locomotive, and grabbed the baby. He would have fallen off the train had the fireman not followed him._

_So we've heard much more about the Kanto Railway and its friends in Rin and Primula, among others. But traffic is on the rise again, and Mr. Soroi is in need of a temporary lease until another Japanese engine could be refitted. Who's he going to call on this time? Thomas, maybe? And will the engine even be ready for the trip? All that and more next time, so Read, Review, and support all of my works! Be sure to subscribe to my forum for all the latest updates! I'll see you guys next time!_

_KKid_


	4. Percy and Asa

_Well, after TZ3K released the latest chapter of his _**Japanese Railway Series** _involving Percy and Asa, I felt that it was time I got the two together in my story. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>The Japanese Railway Series<strong>

**Book 4: Percy and Asa**

**Dear Friends,**

**While on the Ffarquarh Branchline, poor Thomas was involved in an accident, and was unable to go to Tokyo when Mr. Soroi needed him. As a result, Percy went instead. So far, his adventures haven't taken him much in the diversity that Thomas had, but he's had equally as much of an impact, especially with Rin's older friend, Asa. Don't believe me? Just see what my correspondent in Tokyo has sent me.**

**The Author**

**Stories include:**

**Cassandra's Crossing**

**Percy and the Washout**

**Percy, Asa, and the Cyclone**

**A Friend in Deed**

* * *

><p><strong>Cassandra's Crossing<strong>

Sir Topham Hatt's project to extend the Ffarquarh Branch was coming along faster than anyone had expected. While Thomas, Percy, and Toby worked from the west, Sidney and Norman, the diesel shunters, worked from Kirk Machan, building the new junction and line to Ulfstead. In fact, most of the trackwork and buildings along the route were complete already.

The single biggest project remaining was at the River Els. Here, after climbing for two miles, the line is forced to cross a steep, narrow valley in order to continue to Ulfstead. A seven span viaduct was called for, but almost six months after its completion date, the viaduct still wasn't finished. Things always seemed to go wrong on a weekly basis. The marshy valley made it difficult to find solid ground, and spring floodings further set the project back. Combined with several derailments and runaways on both sides leading up to it, the viaduct had become a very expensive and time-consuming project. Workmen dubbed the viaduct 'Cassandra's Crossing', after a bridge that collapsed in a 1970s disaster movie.

"That bridge will never get finished," they said. "And if it does, it'll collapse into the marsh under the first train."

The bridge was the subject of many a conversation at the junction. James usually was the propagator of the topic. "So how's Cassandra doing today? Did she take a few trucks off your back today?" The engines put up with his teasing for a while, but eventually, like with all teases, they soon lost patience.

"You wouldn't be joking about that viaduct if you were the one going up to it every day," Percy complained one day.

"Hah!" James laughed. "Me? On a branch line like yours? Sir Topham Hatt would never allow it!"

"That's not true," Thomas interjected. "Edward, Donald, and Douglas have been up our line a few times to help with the construction, now that the weaker bridges have been replaced. It's about time you showed a wheel too, James!"

"And who would be left to care for the passengers and mixed goods?" James asked. "A splendid engine like me shouldn't be confined to the branch lines. It didn't work that time on Edward's, and it won't work on yours! And speaking of work, I have some to do, so goodbye!" And he huffed away.

Thomas looked over at Percy. "He's going to be up here within the week."

A few days later, James was resting in the sheds after taking a stopping train across the island. He was just about to fall asleep when the yard manager appeared. "There's an important stone train needed at Cassandra's Crossing right away. You'll have to take it." James was most upset.

"Can't one of those tank engines take it?" he asked crossly. "I'm a busy mainline engine!"

"You're not busy if you're dozing off in the sun here!" the manager said sternly. "And if you must know, Percy and Toby are needed at the harbor, Duck and Oliver have a branchline of their own, and Thomas is just about to leave with his own train. Now get to work!" So James did, but not without an attitude. He bumped the train hard as he backed down onto it.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" wailed the trucks. "Not the red monster again! We want Percy or Toby!"

"Believe me," snorted James, "I wish it was one of them!" The driver was concerned.

"Easy now, James!" he warned. "We can't have you getting the trucks against us again!" They started off, but James couldn't shake off his lousy mood.

At Ellsbridge, Thomas had stopped to let off passengers and take on water. The fireman had just turned on the tap when a loud whistle echoed throughout the valley. Thomas smiled.

"What did I tell Percy," he said, as James steamed through. "How do you like the branchline view?" James said nothing, and continued on his way up the line. Thomas's fireman watched James until he was out of sight.

"I don't like how James is running," he remarked. "All that rattling and bumping…something's bound to break on that train."

"Don't worry about it," Thomas assured him. "James always does that when he's hauling an undesirable train."

"Maybe so, Thomas, but that first truck looks mighty old…" The new line follows through Ffarquarh Station, and climbs up the mountain. Just before Cassandra's Crossing is a temporary siding, just long enough for the ten car supply trains that serviced the construction project. It allows the engines to run around the train, so that they don't have to push the train back downhill to FFarquarh.

James slowed down as he entered the loop. "Finally! We're here!" He suddenly stopped as he cleared the loop, bumping the trucks hard.

**!SNAP!**

"Don't tell me what I think that was…" the driver groaned, and looked back. The coupling between James and the first truck had broken, and they were now rolling violently back down the line – so violently, in fact, they had knocked the guard off of his van!

"On! On! On!" cheered the trucks. They raced down the line, gaining momentum from the downhill run.

"Come on, James!" his driver urged. "After them, quickly!"

At Ffarquar, Thomas had just arrived with Annie and Clarabel. He had just pulled ahead of the runaround switch, ready to run around his coaches, when the runaway trucks came into view on his line.

"Peep! Peep!" he whistled. "Get me out of here!" But it was too late. His driver and fireman could only scramble away before the runaway came crashing down onto the blue tank engine. Pieces of wood and metal flew everywhere. When they looked up, it was not a pretty sight. The brakevan and the last two trucks were completely obliterated, with damage to the third and fourth trucks evident. Thomas had fared no better; the loads of stone had bent Thomas's buffer beam, and dented his funnel.

James soon came down the line, but the accident was blocking his way. All he could do was move the front four trucks, which had stayed on the rails, up to the bridge to be unloaded. Thomas's driver took light at the situation.

"So James was all right, eh?" he asked Thomas. The blue tank engine ignored him.

Soon, Percy came up the line with the Breakdown Train, and Sir Topham Hatt. He was not happy with James.

"The coupling wasn't your fault, but the roughness that led to it breaking was." James was frustrated.

"How can I be blamed for an old coupling to -?-!"

"SILENCE!" boomed Sir Topham Hatt. "You shall work in the yards for the rest of the week. That will teach you to handle trucks properly." He turned, leaving James to sulk until the mess was cleaned up. A workman approached him.

"It doesn't look good, sir. Thomas's going to need at least two weeks in the Steamworks to repair everything." Sir Topham Hatt frowned.

"Bother," he groaned. "I'll have to reassign one of the diesel shunters to help with the work then; Dart will have to do." Just then, his cell phone rang. "Hello, Sir Topham Hatt speaking?"

"_Konichiwa, Richard!"_ Sir Topham Hatt's mood brightened.

"Ah, Mr. Soroi! Just the person I wanted to hear from today! What can I do for you, my friend?"

"_Well, my railway is once again short on motive power. Aiko had to go in for repairs today. I have a new engine being restored, but with the workmen split between her and Aiko, she won't be ready as soon as I hoped for. I was hoping that I could borrow Thomas again, although this time officially."_ Sir Topham Hatt sighed.

"Ah, funny you should mention repairs…Thomas was just involved in an accident today. He won't be able to run for a while, so I'm sorry, but he can't be spared." Percy, who was nearby, had overheard the conversation.

"Can I go in place of Thomas?" he asked. "I've been amazed by the stories of Thomas's friends in Tokyo, and want to see them for myself." Sir Topham Hatt stared at Percy. He had planned to ask around the railway for a volunteer to send over, but he hadn't expected an engine to be so forthright.

"…We have an engine called Percy. He's a four wheel saddle tank switch engine, so he doesn't have the same pulling power as Thomas. But he has just as much heart and determination as Thomas."

"_Your recommendation is as good as anyone's Richard. I'll be sure to give Percy a warm reception when he arrives in Tokyo. I have a flight ready to go out of Barrow-Vickarstown tomorrow."_

"I see you expected me to have someone," Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. "You'll be very happy with Percy." He hung up the phone, and returned his attention to Percy. "Pack your bags, Percy; you're going to Tokyo!"

"But I have no bags to pack…" Percy replied.

"It's a figure of speech…" When Thomas heard that Percy was heading to Tokyo, he couldn't be anything but happy for his friend.

"Tell everyone there that I said 'Hello!'" he asked. "Especially Primula."

"Don't worry, Thomas," Percy assured him. "With the descriptions you gave me, it won't be hard to spot them!" Percy was disappointed that Thomas wasn't able to see his friends, but he was sure that they would be happy to see him in Tokyo too.

But who was left to take care of Thomas's branch line? Well, a faster engine was needed to pull Annie and Clarabel, so Rosie was sent over in place of Dart to assist Daisy. Toby took charge of more of the goods trains on the line. Finally, James's punishment was slightly altered by Sir Topham Hat. Needless to say, the red engine wasn't too pleased to be going back and forth to Cassandra's Crossing on a daily basis.

* * *

><p><strong>Percy and the Washout<strong>

It was a wet and dreary day in Tokyo. Inside the National Verbena Academy, Rin stared outside the window of a hallway, watching the raindrops pitter-patter against the pain of glass.

"It doesn't look like it will stop for a while…" he groaned. "But I must be patient. The rainy season's a few weeks away, and after that, it will be summer vacation."

"But I still can't stop thinking about the next three weeks," a familiar voice stated. Rin nearly jumped, as his upperclassmen friend, Asa Shigure, was standing not too far from him.

"A-Asa?-!"

"Hello, Rin!"

"Jeez, you always scare me with your sudden appearances…" The green haired girl blushed, and let out a giggle.

"_Gomen, gomen. _I just couldn't resist your lonely face there!" As if to prove her point, she stuck out her toungue, forcing Rin to crack a smile. "But it is raining pretty hard out there…"

"Lemmie guess…you forgot your umbrella…"

"Friendship between girls can be pretty fragile…"

"And nobody with an umbrella helped you?" This was a little hard to believe. "Not even Kareha?"

"She just started working, so she had to leave earlier," Asa explained. Rin held out his umbrella.

"There's not much room underneath, but do you want to get under this?" he offered. "It's better than getting soaked." Asa's eyes sparkled in delight.

"I'd even pay to get under an umbrella!" she exclaimed. "Thank you!"

"Thank Kaede," Rin explained, as they began to walk down towards the school entrance. "She was the one who gave it to me."

"She always has your back, doesn't she?"

"Even though she forgot her own…" The two sweatdropped.

"…and she always forgets about herself, too…" Asa sighed. "Anyway, let's go!"

"But you're not getting paid for this…"

"Who cares? Let's go!" The two soon reached the school exit. As they got the last of their belongings, a thought came into Rin's mind.

"I hope it stops raining soon," he said. "I heard that another engine from Sodor is arriving on lease to the Kanto Railway today."

"Is it that Thomas engine again?" Asa asked.

"No, he apparently had an accident. A friend of his, Percy, is coming, according to Mayumi. And guess what? She said that he's painted green."

"That's nice," Asa commented, smiling. "It's good to see some good colors come in, not like black or blue."

The day was still overcast, but it did stop raining by the time a pair of containers arrived at the main yards. Mr. Soroi, Sakoto, Walt, and Wilbert were ready when the first container opened.

"Hello, Percy!" Wilbert stated. "It's good to see you again!"

"Hello, Wilbert!" Percy answered. "It'll be nice working alongside you instead of being covered in porridge like the last time."

"Welcome to Tokyo, Percy!" Mr. Soroi greeted warmly. "I trust you had a good flight?"

"**It's aboot time we landed!" **a voice called from the depths of the container. **"I'm sick an' tired of havin' to share a space with Percy all this time!"**

"U-Um…who was that?" Sakoto asked. "Do you have a stowaway on board." Percy sweatdropped.

"Er…sort of…" Wilbert began to pull Percy out of the container. Coupled to Percy's bunker was a small flatbed, and loaded on that flatbed was a rather cranky Duncan. "When Mr. Percival found out about the change, he stuck Duncan with me instead of his own crate."

"But why is a narrow-gauge engine here?" Walt asked. "He's too narrow even for the National Railway!"

"I need new tubes," Duncan complained, "an' Mr. Percival wanted me to be painted like Skarloey and Rheneas, something about painting everyone except Duke an' Rusty company colors. He couldn't even get it done in Crovans Gate either; something about a new engine or somethin'." By that time, Walter had connected to the truck that was in the second container. It held a larger flatbed, with two small engine boilers strapped onto the car.

"Those boilers are for a new engine," Percy explained. "I heard from Mr. Percival that he wanted to combine the best of those spares to create a powerful engine for their line, like the Aresdale Railway has with Jock."

"Looks like my brother's going to have some busy hours ahead," the American Switcher commented.

"And you, Percy, will be the one to get him busy with that work," Mr. Soroi added. "Once you are filled up with coal and water, you'll be working the train that runs to the Steelworks on the other side of Tokyo Bay, and will deliver Duncan and the two boilers to the Works along the way."

"They're doing some trackwork on the north exit of the yards," Sakoto explained as she climbed up into Percy's cab, "So we'll have to pass by Sunlight Way and reverse directions to reach the main line."

Soon, Percy was steamed up, and was shunting his trucks and cars in line. However, Duncan was growing impatient, and took out his boredom on the small green engine.

"Hurry up!" he complained. "At this rate, I'll never get repaired, and Mr. Percival will be out a very dependable engine!" Percy quickly grew cross.

"You'll get moving when I get finished!" he retorted.

"Calm down, Percy!" Sakoto smoothed. "He'll get tired soon; just concentrate on your work." But Duncan didn't stop; he just kept complaining and moaning, to the point that even Sakoto grew annoyed. After what seemed like forever, their train was nearly completed. All that was left was to shunt the two flatbeds behind the caboose. However, Duncan was not too pleased with having the view of a boxvan in front of him.

"This is no way to treat an engine!" Duncan grumbled. "I should at least have a view of something much more interesting than this!" This was the last straw for Sakoto.

"If you want a view so bad, why don't you lead the train for now?-!" Percy shunted Duncan's flatbed onto another track, then backed the rest of the train behind, and switched onto the other line. This meant that Duncan would be at the front of the train for the first part of the journey.

"Much better," Duncan sighed. Percy bumped the cars together, causing jolts of energy that went throughout the entire train.

"OH! OH! OH!" the cars gasped. "Not so rough! Not so rough!"

"Blame the yellow teapot in front!" Percy said. So, with Percy pushing, and Duncan leading, the train weaved its way out of the yard, and out onto the connecting line to Sunlight Way.

Asa's house was not far past Sunlight Way, but in the opposite location of the school. As such, before Rin left for home, Asa offered tea and cookies before he left. The offer was too good to pass up, so Rin stayed. At one point, Asa left to change. However, that was nearly a fifteen minutes ago, and she hadn't returned since. Rin was starting to worry.

"What's taking her so long?" he thought aloud. "It's not like she's taking a shower or anything…ah, I might as well use the bathroom." The bathroom was located next to Asa's room. The door to her room was shut tight, while the bathroom was slightly cracked open. Rin placed his hand on the door, intending to push it open, when…

"PERCY! STOP!" Rin looked back, out a window.

"What the…?"

**!CRASH! !RUMBLE! **The entire house shook, as if an earthquake had struck.

"That sounded like an accident happened!" Just then, the door to the bathroom flung open, and Rin nearly fell right into Asa, who was in her casual clothes.

"And what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I-I was going to ask the same thing about you!" Rin stammered in befuddlement. "Weren't you in your bedroom?"

"I had to go to the bathroom, so I just changed in there," she explained. "Wait, you weren't going to peep now, were you?" Rin shook his head.

"Now's not the time!" he stated. "Something happened outside, and people may need our help!"

"Right!" The two made their way outside, only to find a mess of coal and dirt out on the street in front of them.

The street where Asa's house was located on paralleled the Kanto Railway's Sunlight Way line, and was not far from the Main line. The rain had loosened some of the earthen embankment, causing some of the right-of-way to shift. Percy and Sakoto, already distracted with Duncan's grumblings, were too late to stop the train when they realized the washout. Duncan's flatbed and most of the train, including several coal hoppers, derailed and fell onto the street, spilling their loads. Poor Duncan lay on his side and half across the Shigure family's front lawn, having broken through the fence.

"Sleepers and ballast…!" Duncan exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Serves you right for annoying us while we were shunting!" Sakoto stated, showing no sympathy as she walked up alongside, surveying the damage. "Great, this is probably coming out of my paycheck…"

"Sakoto, is there anything we can do to help?" Rin asked.

"Oh, hi, Rin. Can you two keep Percy company? I need to go speak to Mr. Soroi about this…and I guarantee you that won't be pretty."

"Sure thing." The two teens walked up the hilly embankment, and found Percy. The green engine was waiting patiently with the part of the train that wasn't off the rails, although he was rather upset. "You must be Percy, right?"

"Huh? Who are you two?"

"My name is Rin, and this is my friend, Asa-senpai."

"Hello, Percy!" Asa greeted.

"So you're Rin!" Percy exclaimed. "Thomas has told me a lot about you from when he came here." He looked at Asa. "But he never told me a lot about Asa. Is she your sister?" Asa went flush.

"N-N-No! Absolutely not!"

"Percy, Senpai means one who's an upperclassman," Rin explained. "We're just best friends; we don't even believe we'll ever see each other as lovers." Asa frowned.

"You know, as a girl, that's a rather painful statement for me to hear."

"So you want me to see you as a love interest?"

"No thanks," Asa said. "I don't want to incur the wraths of Eustoma or Forbessi if they found out someone other than their daughters were dating you." A thought struck her mind. "Wait, weren't you about to enter the bathroom when I was changing?"

"I had to go too!" Rin protested. "Since the door was open, I thought you were in your room!"

"You do know that you have to tell me before you peep, right?" Percy was confused.

"Peep? You mean whistle?"

"Ah, it's best you don't know," Rin said. "Anyway, I 'm a healthy young boy, Asa. I'll come and peek if you are provoking me."

"I will scream with my pretty voice if you do so," Asa countered. The two then laughed, knowing that they were only joking. The hours passed, and soon, the mess was cleared. While Percy, Asa, and Rin told each other about themselves and their adventures, Wilbert and Walt had pulled Duncan out of Asa's front lawn, and back onto the rails. A crane placed him on a flat bed, and the two engines pulled him and the cars that could still run to the Works for repairs. The few cars that were damaged too badly were taken by truck to be turned into scrap. The coal was loaded into dump trucks, and taken to the steel mills.

"Time to go, Percy," Sakoto told him. "We still have a few loads to deliver today."

"It was nice meeting you, Percy," Asa said.

"Same here," Percy replied. "I hope to see you more times while I'm here!" Percy then set off to deliver the few cars that remained on his train.

"Be careful!" Rin called out.

"Mayumi was right," Sia stated. "Percy is a kind little engine."

"Yeah," Rin agreed. "I don't see how he could be naïve." That night, however, the other engines in the sheds did.

"P-Peeping?" Aiko repeated. "You want to know what people do when they peep?"

"It's still clouding my mind," Percy explained. "After what Asa said, I'm less than sure what it is now."

"Ah…Walt, a little help here?"

"Do you think I want to jump in on this conversation?" the American Switcher replied.

"Wilbert, you've known Percy the longest!"

"Sorry," the blue tank engine said. "You're on your own on this one."

"And I'm not helping either," the normally caring Kayio stated. The Japanese Engine groaned.

"Why does it have to be me?-!"

* * *

><p><strong>Percy, Asa, and the Cyclone<strong>

"_Tropical Cyclone 2 is expected to make landfall near Choshi in the Chiba Prefecture later tonight. Not much damage or rain is expected from the storm, but brace for high winds to accompany the storm…"_

It had been a few days since Percy's experience with the washout. Since then, he had met all of Thomas's friends, but there had been little time for socializing. All over the city of Tokyo, everyone was hard at work preparing for the impending storm that was to hit later that day. On the Kanto Railway, large lineside debris were collected, brakes were checked on the freight cars and trucks, and goods trains were combined and banked in an attempt to finish work. Already, however, the wind was picking up, with clouds gathering overhead.

Percy was assigned to inspecting the line for anything that could go flying away. When they encountered something, workmen in the first car got out and, depending on the size of the object, either secured it with heavy stone blocks, or placed it in an enclosed car for transport elsewhere.

"What's a cyclone?" he asked Kayio. The Japanese Consolidation smiled.

"A cyclone is a major storm that forms over the ocean, and causes a lot of rain and wind. They are deadly if you don't take care."

"They're called hurricanes in America," Walt added. He was in front of Kayio, assisting her with a long goods train. "I went through one just before I was sold to Japan, and let me tell you, that thing caused the most flooding and fallen trees I've ever seen in my life."

"I can imagine…" Percy trailed off, frowning. He remembered the time that a hurricane landed on Sodor, and had caused havoc for the entire railway system.

The railroad wasn't the only place that was preparing for the impending storm. Asa was cleaning up around her the outside of her house, and secured some of the windows that were at risk to getting hit by debris. It was bad enough to have coal on her street; having it fly into her house was not attractive at all.

"Asa!" her mother called. She was Ama Shigure, and were it not for her slightly longer blonde hair, she could probably pass for Asa if the two were side by side. She wore a pink shirt under blue overalls, and had a white cat eared beanie hat on her head, tied into her hair with two red ribbons. A single black ribbon was weaved around her right hand. "Your cookies are almost done!"

"Coming!" Asa replied. She turned quickly towards the door. As she did, her cell phone fell out of her pocket, and cracked in half on the pavement. "Oh no!"

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Ama asked, running out to her daughter.

"My phone just broke when it fell out of my pocket!" Asa explained. Ama took a look into the sky. Already, clouds were beginning to roll in, but there were still patches of blue sky left.

"I think you have enough time to run to the phone store and get a new one," Ama deduced. "You were up for a new phone anyway, and I remember you saying how much you wanted that smartphone they were advertising recently…" Asa's face brightened instantly.

"Really?" she asked. Ama nodded, prompting a hug from her daughter. "Thanks mom!"

"No problem, Asa. Now you better get going, before that storm rolls in."

"Will do!" The phone company's store was south of Asa's house, and to reach it, she had to cut through a small park on a hill. The Kanto Railway's mainline passes by here, before ducking under the Sunlight Way line. The tracks are sandwiched between the hill and a factory, resulting in a blind S curve, where the trains couldn't see past the other end of the curve.

The store was not much further down the road from the park. It didn't take Asa long to get the smartphone she wanted, but the cyclone had arrived much sooner than anyone had expected. By the time she had gotten everything she wanted, the strong winds and rain prevented anyone from leaving the store.

"Mom's probably going to worry about me now…" she thought. "I'll just have to see if I can get through in a lull in the storm."

"Are you sure that will be safe?" one of the phone company workers asked. "You can wait out the entire storm here."

"No thank you," Asa replied. "My house isn't too far from here."

"Just in case, you might want to download the flashlight app onto your new phone."

"What's the flashlight app?"

"It uses your phone's screen as a flashlight," the worker explained. "The bright light can be seen for nearly a mile, so it's handy in a pinch."

"Good idea," Asa thought. "Even if not now, it might come to usefulness later on at some point."

Meanwhile, the engines were settling in for the night. The wind and rain pelted at the shed doors.

""You know'" Percy quoted, "'If Gordon wasn't here, I'd say that the noise was him rushing by with the Wild Nor'Western.' That was what James said the last time I was in the old sheds at Tidmouth during a storm. I miss that place…"

"What's there now?" Kayio asked.

"They built a new shed, based on a London Midland and Scottish design," Percy explained. "The shed tracks radiate everywhere from the turntable, which is all enclosed in a brick structure."

"An enclosed turntable," Walt stated impressively. "Man, I would have wanted that in all of those cold winters in New Jersey." Just then, Sakoto came into the sheds. "What's the matter?"

"The brakes on a line of cars didn't hold," she explained. "We're going to have to go and bring them back before they roll onto the Commuter Lines, Percy." Percy shuddered.

"Does it have to be us?" he groaned.

"A big tender engine like Walt or Aiko would be easily toppled over by these winds," Sakoto explained. "And with Wilbert spending the night at the Works, you're the closest engine available." Reluctantly, Percy puffed out of the sheds, and into the storm.

The winds had died down when they had set out, and their journey was met only with some rain and moderate gusts. They found the line of cars on the mainline, at the bottom of the approach to a new bridge that had been installed. The cars were quickly coupled together, but by the time Percy departed, the storm had roared in with a vengeance. Rain and wind battered Percy from all sides as he trudged through the storm.

"I can't see!" Percy exclaimed. Sakoto could barely hear the small engine over the winds, but she agreed with him. It was so late now that the dark skies compounded the darkness brought in by nighttime, resulting in them being barely able to see anything more than a few feet away from Percy's headlamps.

It was worse inside the park for Asa. She hadn't expected the wind to be this strong! Whenever she took three steps, the wind blew her backwards by two steps. As she passed by the railway, she could see an old tree bending dangerously in the wind.

'_That tree looks like it will snap at any moment,'_ she thought. _'I better stop for now.' _As soon as she thought this, there was a terrible snapping sound, and the tree suddenly fell down, across her path. The path ran directly above and next to the railway, so the tree tumbled over the retaining wall, and across all of the tracks on the mainline.

"Woah!" she gasped, surveying the damage. "It's a good thing that there are no trains running now; otherwise, there might be a problem." But there was a train coming, as Percy's whistle soon cut through the wind. "Oh no, Percy!" Quickly thinking, Asa hopped down the retaining wall, and onto the tree. She franticly waved and called out to Percy, but it was too dark to see, and the strong winds drowned out anything Asa was saying.

Suddenly, she remembered her new phone. "The flashlight app!" She hastily pulled out her new smartphone, and activated the app. The phone shone so brightly that Asa couldn't even look directly at it.

Meanwhile, Sakoto leaned out of Percy's cab. "What's that light…?" The light moved, as if it was waving, then shone on the tracks. "Is that a tree…?-!"

"SAKOTO, STOP!" Percy cried. "BRAKES!" Sakoto threw the throttle shut, and placed on the brakes. The train skidded down the rails, but this time, the storm helped them. With the wind in their faces, the train stopped sooner than it normally would. Percy came to a stop a few feet away from the fallen tree.

"Whew…" Sakoto sighed. "If our train was any longer, we'd be in splinters…"

"Asa?" Percy said. "What are you doing here?"

"I was out doing an errand," Asa explained. "But it seems that I was needed to save you from a nasty accident." Asa stayed with Percy and his crew, keeping them company while the storm raged on. About an hour later, with the winds dying down once again, Aiko came with the breakdown train, and they moved the tree clear of Percy's line, allowing him to continue.

"It's not safe going through the park," Sakoto told Asa. "We'll take you home once we drop these cars in the yard." The green haired girl had no qualms about that.

"Sure," she agreed. "That would be fine." So, after Percy arrived at the yards, and they secured the line of cars safely in the yard, Percy set forth down the Sunlight Way line, stopping right in front of Asa's house. Ama Shigue was waiting for her.

"Asa, there you are! I was so worried something might have happened to you!"

"Don't worry, Mom," Asa replied. "Percy helped me stay through the storm safely."

"You mean one of the railway workers?"

"No, the engine over there." But when Ama looked, there was only a small green engine in the distance, returning to the safety of his shed after a harrowing experience out in the cyclone.

* * *

><p><strong>A Friend in Deed<strong>

When Asa opened the blinds of her room the next day, she was greeted with the beautiful rays of the morning sunlight. There was no sign of last night's storm at all. Birds sang out on the nearby trees, cars puttered by on the street…it was a beautiful day.

"It doesn't even seem like there was a cyclone had passed by yesterday," Asa remarked. Suddenly, she felt dizzy, and it seemed like her strength was sapped out of her body. This feeling lasted only a second, however, as the green haired girl soon felt perfectly fine.

"Not again…" she said to herself. A thought crossed her mind, telling her to stay home for the day. Asa, however, is a girl that had a will of iron, and she didn't want to miss out on any of the day's events. It took her a longer time just to get into her school uniform. By the time she went downstairs, she was already behind her usual schedule. Ama Shigure, her mother, was surprised to see her at this time.

"Good morning, sweetie. You certainly took your time getting up."

"Just a little groggy today, Mom," Asa explained. Ama frowned.

"That's what you get for going out in the middle of that storm, but are you sure it's just that?" she asked, concerned. "You know, you can always take the day off if you're feeling sick; you won't fail for the year."

"I know that, Mom," Asa replied. "Honestly, I feel fine." After eating a quick breakfast, she set off for school.

To get to school, Asa followed the road that paralleled the embankment of the Kanto Railway's line, and then goes through Sunlight Way. By coincidence, Percy was bringing a short train from the Transfer Station through Sunlight Way at the same time Asa was there.

"Peep! Peep!" he whistled. "Good morning, Asa!" But it wasn't a good morning for Asa. In the time that she walked from her house to Sunlight Way, she had gone red in the face, and her eyes had begun to flirt with closing. She wandered from one side to the other, like a freight car on bad track, and was too foggy in the mind to even hear Percy. "That's strange, usually Asa's more perky than that when I've seen her."

"Maybe she's got a lot on her mind," Sakoto presumed. "You were the one who got a good look at her, though." When they reached the yards, Percy explained what he saw to Walt and Aiko.

"I think Asa may be coming down with a fever," Aiko explained. "My fireman had to work through one a few weeks ago, and he looked just as you described Asa. Poor girl…"

"Do you think she maybe caught it after being in that cyclone last night?" asked Walt.

"It wasn't that cold," Percy stated, "And Asa was wearing a jacket…but still, maybe it was because of that." Aiko sensed that Percy was feeling guilty about Asa waiting in the rain for them to clear the line.

"Tell me, Percy. Are you feeling guilty about last night?"

"A little. We should have told her to go home and get out of the rain, not let her stay and keep us company in the storm." The Japanese engine smiled.

"Percy, don't you know what friends are for?" she asked. "They stick it out with each other, no matter what the trouble is. I thought working on Thomas's Branchline would have instilled that in your smokebox after all these years."

"Aiko's right," Walt agreed. "I'm sure you'd do the same when the time comes for Asa."

Meanwhile, Asa was having anything but a good day. Her concentration was lax, her stomach felt tied up in knots, and overall, she just felt terrible. Even her best friend Kareha could see that she was having a rough time.

"Don't push yourself too hard today," the devil urged during their lunch break. "I know you don't want to miss out on anything, but you don't want to overexert yourself too."

"You might want to take Kareha's advice, Asa," Rin suggested, having overheard everything. "Are you okay?"

"Oh my!" Kareha gasped. "A lover concerned for the health of his fair maiden?"

"Kareha, this isn't the time for one of your romantic fantasies," Rin stated.

"Don't worry, Rin!" Asa declared. "The legendary Asa Shigure isn't to be put down by a little cold!" She suddenly felt terrible. "Though I could use a cold drink right about now…"

"I'll go get something from the vending machine," Rin offered. Kareha suddenly gained a lightness of her heart.

"Oh my! The two lovers, sharing a drink that will help get one better, right before a date! _Oo la la_!"

"We aren't even dating!" protested Rin.

"Forget it," Asa groaned. "She's in her own little world now…"

It only got worse as the day went on for Asa. The feelings of weakness cam with more frequency as the periods changed. Even during cooking class, which Asa accels at, the teacher asked if she was in the right state of mind, after procuring an uncharacteristically charred piece of food. Of course, Asa said she was okay, but Kaede could plainly see that she wasn't.

"Rin and I can walk you home," the redhead offered. "It isn't too much of a bother."

"Don't worry, Kaede," Asa assured her friend. "I can make it home safely by myself!" the green haired girl put on a brave face, but the truth was that she felt terrible. The walk home, already long enough, felt even longer with the way she was feeling. Asa managed to make it to the end of Sunlight Way, but it was here that the last of her strength gave out. The girl lost consciousness, and collapsed by the side of the line.

Percy was coming down the grade from the yards with some empty trash train cars, and saw Asa by the line, out cold. "Stop, stop! That's Asa by the tracks!"

"I see her!" Sakoto confirmed. The engineer shut off Percy's steam, and brought the train to a halt on level ground, just past Asa's location. While the fireman ran back and checked on Asa, Sakoto quickly got out her cell phone. The two met up midway down the train, and conferred with the conductor. A few minutes later, Sakoto walked back to Percy.

"The good news is that Asa's all right," she explained. "Aiko was right in that she had a fever; she passed out trying to get through it!" Percy dreaded what was coming next.

"Seeing as you've said that was good news, there's still a problem," he groaned. Sakoto nodded.

"It's best we get her to a hospital, just to make sure everything's all right. However, the main roads are a mess, and they can't get an ambulance out here to pick her up. There's a hospital beside the Commuter Line that we use to reach the Transfer Station; we can get her there in a hurry if we work fast. Can we count on you to give us a fast run?" Percy put on a brave face.

"I may not be as fast as Gordon, but I'll give it my all!"

"That's a good engine!" Sakoto praised. "Mr. Soroi knows of the situation, and has cleared the way on the Commuter Lines for us; we'll have priority to getting to the hospital." The conductor and fireman carefully brought Asa into the caboose, and placed her on a chair that was inside. The conductor then sacrificed his canteen of water, pouring some of the water onto a towel, and placing it on Asa's forehead. The fireman then returned to Percy's cab.

"If there was a time I wanted to be pushed by the trucks," Percy groaned, "it would be now!" The green engine was waiting impatiently to get started. At last, he could feel steam flowing through his cylinders.

"Go, Percy, go!" Sakoto shouted. With a long blast of his whistle, and a slippage of his wheels, Percy's train got started once again. The old trash cars were heavy, and had worn bearings that required extra strength to move, but Percy fought them all the way, moving them with as much strength as he had ever had in his career. Thick, black smoke billowed out of his funnel, accentuated by Percy's grunts and groans.

"Move-along-emergency! Move-along-emergency!" Percy panted. He gained more speed, whistling so as to warn any nearby pedestrians.

"_Ohayou_, Percy!" Mayumi greeted, as Percy passed the school. Percy took no notice, and puffed along, thick black smoke covering up the sky. "Who would have thought that pulling eight empty cars required so much work…?"

"Blimey, Percy!" Walt exclaimed. He was in the siding by the park with a work train. "You better tell your fireman to do a better job firing you, or he'll be the one fired!"

"No time for bad jokes, Wilbert!" Percy stated. "It's an emergency!" And he steamed away.

"But it was a good one…" Wilbert sighed. On the street trackage, Eustoma was exiting his mansion with Sia. They were simply going to Rin's house to check on Primula for Forbessi. The King of the Gods merely took a step out into the street, and nearly had his foot run over by Percy.

"Hey!" Eustoma shouted. "Slow down and whistle, you hear?-!"

"Sorry!" Percy replied. Sia looked inside of the caboose as it passed.

"Was that Asa…?" she wondered.

Not much further from the street trackage was the junction. As promised, the commuter trains that normally crisscrossed the line were held up at the station, and the switches were lined for Percy to make an easy crossover. Sakoto applied the brakes, and the train coasted to a stop, with the caboose clear of the Commuter Line, and in front of the hospital. Awaiting them was a team of doctors, ready with a gurney.

"Bring the patient out slowly," one of them said. The conductor helped assisting the doctors in bringing Asa out of the caboose. Once the girl was on the gurney, the doctors rushed her into the hospital, and out of sight.

"I hope she's okay…" Percy hoped.

That night, Ama Shigure visited Percy in the sheds.

"Thank you for getting my daughter to the hospital so fast," she said. "The receptionist told me that it would have taken three times as long just to get the ambulance to her with the state the traffic was in."

"Is Asa doing okay?" Percy asked.

"Don't worry, Percy," Ama assured the green engine. "It seems that Asa had a simple fever, but with the way she pushed herself, it overtaxed her body. She'll be at the hospital overnight for observation, but they expect her to be released tomorrow afternoon…after school lets out."

"Nothing to push herself for, huh?" Wilbert surmised.

"Correct," Ama stated. "We don't want her to push herself too far too soon." She turned her attention back to Percy. "I want to thank you for another reason as well."

"Huh?" Percy was confused.

"Between the phone store and our house, on the route Asa was to take to get back, there were two more trees that fell down. Either one could have landed on top of my daughter if she hadn't stopped to help you out. You have my deepest thanks, Percy." The engine was speechless.

"I…ah…you're welcome, I guess." Ama giggled.

"It's nice to know that Asa has a friend she can trust in you," she stated. "Even if you two can't connect with arms or legs, you can still connect with your hearts and minds."

* * *

><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_The fan made Extended Railway Series does have Cassandra's Crossing as a location, as to get to Ulfstead, the line would need to cross a deep river valley._

_While _**Percy, Asa, and the Cyclone**_ is based off of _**Percy, Sia, and the Gale**,_there is historical truth. On March 10, 1997, a Conrail train on the River Line stopped just short of a boulder that fell onto the tracks near Stone King Mountain. The train had 63 cars; any longer, the crew contended, and the train would have been in the Hudson River._

_Location time: The park by the S-curves in _**Percy, Asa, and the Cyclone** _does exist, but the hill doesn't, and the tracks there are actually elevated._ _However, Ota General Hospital, where Asa was taken in _**A Friend in Deed**_, does exist right next to the main line of the Keikyu Corporation mainline, exactly where it is in the story._

_Credit to TZ3K for the original _**Percy, Sia, and the Gale **_and_** Asa's Walk**_, which inspired two of the stories in this book._

_Next time, Percy's adventures continue in Tokyo, and a new Japanese Engine is restored. Who is she? You'll have to find out next time, so read, review, and subscribe! See you next time!_

_Ketchum Kid_


	5. Tamiko the Big Engine

_I haven't posted anything since before Halloween, and I still manage to get at least 20 hits every day…I guess my name must be getting around. ^_^ Anyway, no, I am not dead. Now that finals are over, I can begin posting again…until I have my Post-Christmas Disney sabbatical. But anyway, I have the next installment of _**The Japanese Railway Series** _ready for shipping…If I was making money off of it…anywho, just read! It may be the shortest chapter so far, but that doesn't mean it's low quality by a long shot!_

* * *

><p><strong>The Japanese Railway Series<strong>

**Book 5: Tamiko the Big Engine**

**Dear Friends,**

**As Percy's time in Tokyo began to wind down, a new engine was put into service on the Kanto Railway. Her name is Tamiko, and while she is big and strong, she can be clumsy at times, and is prone to being nervous. Fortunately, the other engines are more than determined to help her fit in, along with some friendly words from Primula. Percy certainly has some good tales to tell once he returned to Sodor.**

**The Author**

**Stories include:**

**Moe Trouble with Trucks**

**Second Time Taking the Plunge**

**Raw Power**

**Splish, Splash, Splosh!**

* * *

><p><strong>Moe Trouble with Trucks<strong>

Traffic on the Kanto Railway was increasing rapidly. More and more coal was being transported from the ports to the steel mills, and it was putting a strain on the engine fleet. Only Aiko and Kayio could handle the heavy trains, but they were also needed for other jobs. Sometimes Percy and Wilbert were used in a pair, but this either required the older trucks, which had a lower capacity than the newer hoppers, or a brakevan to change couplers on a much shorter coal train.

One day, Mr. Soroi came to the sheds. The engines were all worn out from the day's work. "I understand that you all are tired. Fortunately, I have good news. Aiko, Kayio, tomorrow your sister Tamiko will be ready for operation, and should be able to handle most of the heavy freight trains."

The two Japanese engines were excited. "Thank you, sir!" Percy, Wilbert, and Walt were confused.

"Who is Tamiko?" Wilbert asked.

"She's a powerful freight engine that Mr. Soroi saved along with us," explained Kayio. "She has a 2-8-4 wheel arrangement, and a long black tender."

"Did you say she had eight drivers?" Percy wondered in amazement. He had never seen such an engine.

"It's called a Berkshire type back in America," Walt noted. "Fast freight engines, they were. I met one once on a fantrip on my line."

"Tamiko is very strong," Aiko boasted proudly. "She can simply strut away with whatever train she has, no problem at all! You three won't have to worry about taking mainline trains anymore."

"Ara, Tamiko is rather shy, though," Kayio noted. "So please don't surprise her or anything. She's prone to an accident if she gets startled."

Later, Percy saw Mayumi at Sunlight Way. The half-devil was intrigued by this development. "A new engine, you say?"

"Her name's Tamiko. She's apparently this big engine for freight traffic. Mr. Soroi said that she'll handle most of the coal service across the bay."

"With an assignment like that, she must be this big, gruff engine that bosses others around!"

"Ah, not from what the others have told me. They say that she is a shy engine that runs into accidents when startled."

"This engine sounds just like a moe girl!" The voice belonged to Itsuki, who appeared behind Mayumi.

"Oh, Itsuki!" Mayumi said, with some surprise.

"What's a moe girl?" asked Percy. "Someone who mows lawns for people?

"MOE, Percy," Itsuki corrected. "It's a loose term that means cute. For Tamiko, it would be that she is a bit klutzy, but is still kind to others, and tries to make up for her mistakes."

"You would know that, wouldn't you?" Mayumi sighed. The next day, Wilbert brought Tamiko down from the works. She was painted black, like the others engines, and had two front wheels, eight driving wheels, and four trailing wheels. Despite this, she was only slightly bigger than Aiko.

Mr. Soroi introduced her. "Percy, Walt, this is Tamiko. I am confident that you two will show her around, as this is her first time on standard gauge tracks."

"_K-Konichiwa…"_ Tamiko seemed to be hiding behind her smoke deflectors.

"Hello, Tamiko!" Percy greeted. "It's a pleasure to meet an engine as big and strong as you."

"_A-Arigato…"_ Tamiko seemed to blush.

"She said 'thank you," Mr. Soroi translated. "Tamiko, you'll be needed on a coal train right away. Percy and Walt will help collect your cars."

"_Hai!"_

"Yes sir!" The three engines headed to the yards. Walt shunted the open coal cars together, while Percy tackled the trucks. All the while, they chatted with Tamiko.

"So you're a heavy freight engine, Tamiko?" Walt asked.

"Yes, b-but I'm not sure how hauling these bigger trains will be. Mr. Soroi wants Percy to bank me the full length of the journey."

"So that's why we're putting some trucks on the train," Percy deduced. "Since there's an engine that has a buffer beam on the end, just attach something with a buffer beam to the end."

Soon, the train was set up and ready to go. Before Percy could buffer up behind with a brakevan, however, the yard manager came running up.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but can you take a few extra cars? There was an accident involving a few construction vehicles, and the construction site needs some flatcars to take the vehicles to scrap."

"Sure thing," Tamiko replied. The flatbeds were on the next track, so the Japanese engine backed down onto them first, and collected them before taking the rest of the train. As Tamiko approached the rest of the train, the driver checked her speed.

"Easy now, Tamiko!" he called. "I know you're excited to work again, but don't take out the train in the process!" Tamiko bumped the train hard, pushing it back several carlengths.

"It's a good thing that I wasn't on the back yet," Percy stated. "I might have been pushed back along with them."

What nobody had noticed was that the train had passed through a switch as they were pushed back. The switch hadn't been set to their line, and would have been switched had Percy and his crew noticed it first. Instead, the train forced its way through the switch, and sat with some of it beyond the switch. The trucks had noticed this, but, being trucks, didn't tell anyone.

Finally, Percy and the brakevan were coupled up. "Peep-Peep! I'm ready!"

"Poop-Poo!" Tamiko answered back. "Let's go!" Tamiko started with a jerk so sharp, that Percy was nearly dragged along with the train. As Sakoto opened Percy's throttle, she leaned out of the cab, and saw that some of the trucks were not following the rest of the train.

"_Chikuso_, we're over a switch!" She scrambled to the whistle cord.

"Pip-pip-pip-Peep!" Percy whistled. "Stop!" But it was too late. Several trucks were already on the ground, and by the time the train was stopped, only Percy was still on the rails. Thirteen trucks and the brakevan were on the ground, many laying on their sides.

"Wa-wa-what happened?-!" Tamiko wondered, hearing the noise.

"Some of our train derailed," the driver noted. "We better clear our cars once they unhook the rest of our train." But Tamiko was so nervous that she didn't wait. She jerked forward, pulling the train further down the track.

"Woah!" Percy called. He was still hooked to the derailed train, and was dragged a few yards down the other track, before he too came off the line. "Ow!"

"Ah!" Tamiko stopped. "_G-Gomenasai!_" Percy just groaned, and rolled his eyes. Walt was soon on the scene with the breakdown train, and soon had Percy back on the rails. Mr. Soroi was there too, and spoke kindly but sternly to Tamiko.

"The first accident wasn't your fault, but Percy's derailment was. I know you're fresh from a few years of restoration and rebuilding, but be careful with your trains next time.

"_H-Hai…_" Tamiko sadly replied.

Later that afternoon, Percy ran into Mayumi and Itsuki again. "Well, I'm not sure if Tamiko's moe or not, but I do know one thing about her."

"What would that be?" Mayumi asked.

"She's strong enough to pull me off the rails!"

* * *

><p><strong>Second Time Taking the Plunge<strong>

The troublesome trucks saw Tamiko's accident as a chance for some fun, so the next day, they began to tease her about it. Whenever they saw her in the yards, they would sing rudely at her.

"_Tamiko's no use at all, _

_Thinks she's so much better, _

_Pulling trucks like no one's about, _

_That's the best joke ever! _

_When she's ready for her trip, _

_She thinks that she's fine, but no, _

_We just push her over the switch, _

_Pop goes Tamiko!"_

"The lot of you are as unoriginal as you are annoying!" Percy groaned, as he shunted the trucks out of the way. He, Walt, and Wilbert tried their best to quiet the trucks, but as Percy remembered from when Oliver had had his accident when he first arrived, the engines couldn't be everywhere at once.

"There must be some way to stop the trucks," Walt sighed at week's end. "Even the freight cars back on the Susquehanna weren't this bad."

"Percy, didn't something like this happen to Oliver back on Sodor," Wilbert recalled. "How did you engines stop the trucks then?"

"By pulling one of them apart by the frame," Percy replied. "It won't work with these trucks; I can tell that they're in better condition than S. was."

"Please, don't worry about it," assured Tamiko. "it's my fault for not noticing it…I guess I still am a klutzy engine."

"That's not true," Aiko stated. "We all have our moments when we are a little out of it. We just need to stop those trucks from reminding you about the incident." Just then, the yard manager arrived.

"There's an extra load of coal that needs to go out to the steel mills. Tamiko, you're drawing the assignment. Aiko, I need you on the back to push the train up the hill by the Haneda Bridges."

"_Hai!_" they replied, and one by one, they set off for their train.

"That's it!" exclaimed Percy.

"What's it?" asked Walt.

"Our solution!" the green engine stated. "Why didn't we think of it before?" He then explained his idea to the other two engines.

"It sounds feasible," Walt surmised.

"We'll do it tomorrow," Wilbert stated.

"Right," agreed Percy. "For Tamiko."

The next day, Tamiko had to take a long line of trucks and carsto the transfer yards to be loaded with supplies for the construction of the high-speed railway. As she passed the trucks, they began singing in their cheeky way.

"Pay no mind to them!" Wilbert ordered, as he shunted the trucks into place. "I'm needed to shunt some cars up in the Transfer Yards, so I'll be banking on the end for this leg of your journey. Those trucks won't play tricks with me around."

Tamiko felt much better with Wilbert around. True to his word, he kept the trucks in order all the way to the Transfer Yards. Once there, he quickly began shunting the trucks and cars into their proper sidings to be loaded. As he shunted them back into the train, Wilbert made sure that the trucks were on the back end, while the freight cars were on the front. He finally placed a spacer car that had chains and knuckles on the end of the cars, and shunted the trucks behind them.

"All set!" Wilbert called to Tamiko. "Be careful on the hill!"

"I-I will!" Tamiko replied. "Thank you!" But inside, she felt nervous. Now she had to go it alone, and while the trucks were on the back of the train, they still were rude and noisy.

"Ugh!" Itsuki groaned. "What is that horrible noise?-!"

"Sounds like some Troublesome Trucks to me," Mayumi surmised. "That must mean Tamiko is passing by with a train.

"Poor engine," sighed Kaede. "I wish there was something we could do to help…"

When she reached Sunlight Way, Tamiko saw a man waving a red flag. There, on the sidings, was Percy. He was looking glum.

"Thank goodness you're here," Percy sighed. "I have a loose valve in my cylinder, and I can't get back to the yards for help. Can you help us?"

"I don't see why not," Tamiko's driver said. "We're actually headed past the works, so we can bring you there ourselves. That okay with you, Tamiko?"

"Y-Yes…" she agreed, nervously. Tamiko began to pull ahead, so that Percy could be coupled onto the rear of the train. As the spacer car passed, Sakoto hopped aboard the car. She didn't come out when the train backed down onto Percy, but she did give the green engine a thumbs-up. He was coupled up to the train, and Tamiko puffed away.

Soon they reached the hill in front of the yard. The trucks began to plan their tricks.

"There's more of us than those goody-two shoes freight cars, let's push Tamiko down the hill!" The trucks giggled in laughter. When they reached the top, they did their tricks. "On! On! On!" But instead of pushing the cars in front of them, the trucks were horrified to see the rest of the train pull away!

Percy hadn't actually broken down; he just needed an excuse to get onto the train. Sakoto had hid in the spacer car, and when they reached the top, she undid the chain between the spacer and the first truck. The green haired engineer was now running to Percy, who now had the trucks to deal with along with his own.

"Percy's behind this!" the trucks said crossly. "Let's pay him out instead!" The trucks began to surge ahead, and Sakoto was barely able to make it into Percy's cab.

"Stop pulling!" Percy ordered, and began to dig into the rails. Meanwhile, Tamiko's driver had noticed the train becoming lighter, and looked back.

"Great, we lost half our train at the top of the hill! We'll have to go collect them!" He shut off her steam as they coasted into the yard tracks.

"N-No, not again…" Tamiko groaned, defeated. Suddenly, she saw the trucks zoom by her on the other track, along with Percy. "P-Percy?-!"

"HEEELP!" Percy wailed, as the trucks dragged him down the tracks. Even with his brakes on full, the heavy trucks surged forward, pulling him along for the ride. They raced through the yard, reaching the track where Aiko and Thomas almost fell into the bay. Now the trucks wanted to stop, but they had been so caught up in their fun, that it was too late.

"Stop! Stop!" they wailed, as one by one, they burst through the buffers, and into the bay. Fortunately for Percy, the coupling in front of him snapped, so he stayed high and dry on the rails.

"Phew!" Percy gasped. "That's what you lot get for pushing Tamiko around: a trip to the bay!"

"Well done, Percy!" Walt called. "That'll teach them a lesson, for sure!"

"Teach who a lesson?" boomed a voice. It was Mr. Soroi. "Am I to say that you engines purposely caused a wreck?"

"Ah, er…" the two engines were speechless. They hadn't planned to have to answer to Mr. Soroi.

"Then that's what I'll say, if it gets these trucks to start behaving," Mr. Soroi stated. "I've been hearing their rude jokes all week, and even I am getting tired of it. Good work, you two."

"Um, thank you, sir?" they stated.

That night, Tamiko had a chance to talk to the three engines again. "Thank you for your help today. If you hadn't had your plan, I probably would have been in another accident again."

"Don't mention it," Percy stated. "Your freight cars are nice and wonderful, but our trucks are nasty things. If you don't show them what's for, they'll be inclined to bump you about."

"Like when you asked them to bump you?" teased Wilbert.

"That was when I was young and didn't know about 'Danger' boards!" Percy retorted. The two engines laughed, and were soon joined by Walt and Tamiko. The big Japanese engine was finally starting to relax now.

"You know," Walt recalled, "Those trucks fell off right where they tried to push Aiko into the bay last month, if Thomas wasn't around to stop them."

"I guess then that they succeeded this time," Percy chortled. "But I don't think that they enjoyed their bath this time around!"

* * *

><p><strong>Raw Power<strong>

The line to the Transfer Yards has two entrances from which trains from the main yard can enter, both of which meet at National Verbena Academy. The first is for trains coming from the north, and is simply an offshoot from the main line west to the Transfer Yards. The second is for trains from the north, and isn't as easy. The single track has to climb out of the yard, so that it can run over a spur line to the coal loadout. The track then drops suddenly, as it then has to duck underneath the Kanto Railway's main line. Trains running to the Transfer Yards are generally fine, as the climb isn't steep for them. The same can't be said for trains running the other way, however, as they must generally get a full head of steam before the hill, or risk stalling out.

One morning, near lunchtime, Rin was leaning against his desk. A test and two lectures, along with the heating system being turned on for too long, had made the day feel much longer than it had been. There was only one period until lunch, but Rin still tried to get some rest on his desk.

All of a sudden, Rin felt a tap. It wasn't a hard jab, but a soft, cute tap. Rin hardly noticed it. "Itsuki, I'm not in the mood right now, just let me sleep…" The tapping continued. "Not Itsuki? Then stop it, Mayumi. I'm not in the mood." A third tap convinced Rin that it wasn't either of the usual suspects. "Is it Kaede? You can decide the menu for tonight. How about -?"

"Rin…" A blunt tone of voice cut him off. Raising his head slowly, Rin was surprised to find that the culprit was none other than Primula.

"Primula?-! Why are you here?" The others were surprised as well.

"Rin-chan?-!" said Kaede in confusion. "You're still supposed to be home!" The other male students weren't happy to see Rin become associated with another girl.

"Who is she?" they asked to each other. "Not another one of Rin's cohorts…he's finally losing his mind!" The girls found Primula to be cute.

"She's just like a little doll!" they said.

"She's young, but she's very fresh. I bet she's going to be a really pretty girl in the future. How many girlfriends do you need, Tsuchim-EEEH?-!"

"Nobody needs your opinion, Itsuki!" grumbled Mayumi, who had stomped on Itsuki's foot. While the class paid attention to Primula, the little girl continued to stand there, with no expression on her face.

"He took me here," she finally said.

"Who did?" Sia wondered.

"Hi, Rin-chan!" a familiar voice called from the hallway. "Have you been flirting with Nerine-chan?" The person was, of course, Forbessi.

"I see a madman…" Mayumi muttered.

"O-Otoh-sama?" Nerine was surprised. "Why are you here?"

"I forgot to give you something very important this morning, so I came here to give it to you." Forbessi produced a lunchbox, five tiers high and fully laden with food.

"Thank you," Nerine stated. "But you didn't have to bring Rimu with you…"

"Primula never goes out, except to see the Kanto Railway when Thomas was around," Forbessi explained. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to have her be in a place that was full of people."

"You have brought her somewhere else, not the Academy…" Forbessi looked hurt.

"Are you telling me not to come here?" Primula frowned.

"…Annoying," she muttered. The King of the Demons was horrified.

"A-Are you annoyed by me, Primula?-!"

"N-No…" Nerine sighed, "I don't think that's the case…"

"So I am welcome here!" Forbessi hugged his daughter. Nerine showed a face that looked like it was saying "Help me!"

"Poor girl goes through a lot…" Rin sighed.

"She reminds me of myself with Papa…" Sia stated, laughing a little. Primula tapped the Goddess on the back, in an effort to cheer her up.

"Well, now that my work here is done, I shall go now," Forbessi announced. "Primula."

"…I'm going to the rail yards."

"Again?" Forbessi sighed. "This is the third time this week…" The two left, leaving everyone to stare at Nerine's lunchbox. Mayumi walked up, and eyed the container.

"…You're sharing some of that, right?"

As Forbessi and Primula walked out of the Academy, they heard a familiar "Peep-Peep!" of Percy's whistle. The green engine slowed to a halt when Forbessi waved him down. Sakoto, however, wasn't as pleased to see Forbessi.

"I hope you aren't trying to ask me out on a date again, you lecher!" she said crossly. "I already turned you down last week!"

"Ah, it isn't for my benefit, it's Primula's. She wants to see the yards again."

"We'll be more than happy to take her," Percy stated. "A friend of Thomas's is a friend of mine, after all!"

"But Forbessi must ride in the spacer car," Sakoto ordered. "My rear is going to be as far away from your hands as possible!"

"Such arrogance…" groaned Forbessi, who looked ready to cry at the green haired engineer's comments. But he did trundle down past Percy's cab and into the spacer car, while Primula was helped into Percy's cab.

"What is Percy taking?" Primula asked.

"It's twelve cars of cement," Sakoto explained. "It's needed for the platforms of the new commuter stations, for when the service starts in a month." Percy started off, and was soon running nicely down Sunlight Way. He wasn't worried about the steep climb. A few days earlier, he had come down the line with fifteen cars of loaded steel, and had no trouble at all.

"I-can-do-it!-I-can-do-it!" he puffed proudly, as he tackled the heavy grade. They were halfway up, when suddenly, Percy cried out in pain. "OW! I've got a cramp! I've got a cramp!"

"_Chikuso!_" Sakoto grumbled. "Of all the places…" She shut off steam, and coaxed Percy to a halt. No sooner than they had stopped, however, than they lurched backwards.

"Aiee!" Forbessi shouted from the spacer car. "What's going on?-!"

"The train's too heavy to be stopped on this hill, even with the brakes on!" Sakoto stated. "We'll just be rolling back until we reach the bottom!" That was what did happen. Fortunately, the guard was able to get out and flag down Tamiko, who was following behind, as soon as Percy stopped at the bottom of the hill.

Sakoto, meanwhile, got down and inspected Percy for the trouble. "Your valve gear jammed. On level ground, we could make it to the yards, but not with the hill."

"We can give you a push," Tamiko's driver offered. "We're right here, and it would be no bother to us at all."

"Are you sure?" Forbessi wondered. "By the looks of it, you have a train of about thirty cars."

"Don't underestimate Tamiko, sir," the driver stated. "She may be small and old, but she's as strong as any engine out there!"

Tamiko was coupled up to the brakevan, while Sakoto turned off Percy's steam, and released the brakes. All the pulling and pushing would be on Tamiko's couplers.

"Poop! Poop! I'm ready to go!" Slowly but surely, Tamiko pushed and pulled the train forward. Plumes of smoke and soot shot out of her funnel, as she forced the train up the hill. Within seconds, they were over the top, and coasting into the yard.

"Hello, hello, what's this?" Walt quizzed, as he watched the interesting cablecade come in. "For a moment, I thought there was an actual fire." Percy's train was uncoupled, and Walt shunted the little green engine onto another track, leaving his spacer car with him. Then, Tamiko backed onto Percy, was coupled up, and brought him in the front of the train.

"Thank you for the ride," Forbessi said. "That was some display of power back there.

"You are very strong," Primula stated.

"_Domo arigato!_" Tamiko replied. "I didn't want to see a friend stranded.

"Donna rigota?" Percy said. He was still confused at the Japanese language. Sakoto laughed.

"It means 'Thank you very much!'" she translated. With that, Tamiko blew her whistle, and set off to bring Percy to the works, feeling much more confident in herself than when she first started working again.

* * *

><p><strong>Splish, Splash, Splosh!<strong>

"Rin, look! Look! It's raining!" It was raining yesterday, but it's raining again!"

It had been a few days since Percy's valve gear had jammed, and while he had been mended, the rainy season struck with vengeance. The rain was coming down in buckets, making everyone wet and miserable. Well, almost everybody.

"So much for people who like the rain being dark, troubled people," sighd Rin, and smiled at his redhead friend/fiancé, who was jumping up and down beside the window.

"So this is the rainy season, huh? It just continues to rain every day? What an interesting season!" Sia paused. "We can't live without water. This world is saving up the water before the hot season comes…how interesting!"

"It's not really that impressive…" Rin admitted. "Besides, I don't like the rain. I get wet and depressed, and I hate holding an umbrella. When it ends, and summer comes, I'll be excited."

"Really?" mused Sia. "I like the rain, and I love walking with an umbrella! Doesn't it make you feel excited?"

"Maybe as a child, but not now."

"It makes me want to jump off from somewhere with an umbrella, and fly around the sky!"

"As excited as you are, it would be hilarious if you said that you forgot your umbrella." Sia paused.

"Ah..." Rin merely facepalmed. Within minutes, a rather disgruntled yet red Rin escorted Sia, as the two shared an umbrella.

"Thank you for letting me join you, Rin."

"You're my neighbor; I don't even mind." Other students, however, were rather curious, and kept staring at the two of them. Rin merely ignored them, and continued on.

The rain was especially heavy today. It poured without hesitation, and pooled in the low areas of the road. One such area was near the bend by Rin and Sia's houses. Here the rails in the street curved slightly, and moved very close to the sidewalk.

As they were walking past the spot, Rin noticed that was looking up at him. He stopped, wondering if there was something on his face. Sia understood what he was thinking, and shook her head.

"Nothing's wrong," she explained. "It's just that I think you are so sweet!" She smiled at Rin, making him blush.

"I-I'm not doing anything special," he replied. "I'd do this for Kaede too."

"I'm saying that your shoulder is wet." Rin's right shoulder stuck out of the umbrella, and clinged to his skin like putty. "You're trying not to get me wet, right?"

"It's not like that…" he replied, looking away. "Don't worry." Sia chuckled.

"It's that part about you," she replied.

"Huh?"

"It's your selflessness that I love so much about you!"

"There are many guys that are kinder than I am," Rin noted. "As creepy as he can be, Itsuki is very much a gentlemen with women. And Thomas was probably the best showing of what chivalry is about."

"Maybe," Sia stated, "but they aren't Rin Tsuchimi. "Besides, I already have you." She pulled herself closer to Rin. "Now you won't get wet anymore."

"You don't have to worry…" he said. They were so caught up in each other that they failed to notice Wilbert and Percy coming up behind them. The two were doubleheading a loaded goods train to the Transfer Yards.

"Look sharp!" Wilbert called out, but it was too late. The two engines hit the large puddle, splashing water all over Rin and Sia. The two yelped, and instantly jumped back. They stood there, soaked to the bone, watching the train go by, before it disappeared around the bend.

"…Well, I guess I can't complain about your shoulder anymore," Sia noted, a mischievous grin forming on her face.

"My shoulder?" Rin said incredulously. "What about you? Aren't you soaked?" His answer came when Sia stomped into the puddle, splashing more water onto him. "Hey!"

"Nope!" Sia grinned, and ran off in the rain.

"Get back here!" Rin called, and half annoyed and half excited, he ran off to pay Sia out.

Later, when the rain stopped, Percy returned to the area, and apologized to the two of them.

"Even with our warnings, I guess it was raining too hard for you to hear our warnings," he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Percy!" Sia stated. "That splash felt really good. It doesn't rain in the realm of the Gods, so it was a really good feeling, being wet in my own clothing!" Percy was confused, and wondered how an entire world could go without rain. "Anyway, our books weren't too wet, and our clothes are drying, so there's no harm done."

"That's good to hear," Percy stated. "I would never have felt good on the plane tomorrow if I found out that I ruined anything."

"A plane ride?" RIn asked. "Are you going back already?"

"Yes. Mr. Soroi placed another engine into service today, so he said that it was time to go back to Sodor. Wilbert is also leaving. His railway in Dean said that he repaid the time that was exchanged for his overhaul, so he can return to the mainland now."

"You must be excited to return home," Sia stated. "I'm sure Thomas misses you on the line."

"Probably more like he wants me back. I'm not entirely sure how he feels with James running most of the goods trains each day. Can you tell Asa I said goodbye?"

"Sure thing," Rin agreed.

"But only if you tell Thomas to visit again soon," Sia asked.

"It's a deal," Percy said. "Goodbye, you two!"

"Goodbye, Percy!" they said, and watched him back away to the yards.

A few days later, Thomas returned from the Works. His repairs were finished, and he was eager to get back to work. He raced back to the junction, and found Percy with Annie and Clarabel at the station. "Hello, Percy! I see you're back from Japan sooner than expected."

"Yes, I am," Percy replied. "You were right about Tokyo being a wondrous place. I had so much fun, and your friends were very kind."

"I'd be surprised if they weren't," chuckled Thomas.

"Sia told me that everyone wants you to visit again soon."

"I want to too, but it's really hard when it's awkward for any of us to be shipped. If only they were able to visit us…then we could show them all the things the Island has to offer, as well as introduce them to the others."

"Yes," Percy agreed. "They should come see us some day!"

But that's another story.

* * *

><p><em>For Your Information…<em>

_Tamiko's accident was based on a 1983 incident involving a hotshot Norfolk Southern freight train pulling out of a Chicago-area yard._

_Raw Power is based off of an incident in Lakeland, Florida. A CSX stone train stalled out on a small but step grade just past the station, and began to roll backwards, nearly hitting a late running Amtrak Silver Star that was behind it. Two locomotives were called for on the back of the train, and helped push it up the hill._

_So, another book down the hatchet, and some plans to announce as well. Sometime next year, I will be taking the best of the Japanese Railway Series, along with select Tokyo Railway Series Shuffle stories with permission by TZ3K, and combining them into a Thomas Trainz series to be released on Youtube. I am currently working on redeveloping certain routes to look like Japan, as there are very few Japanese routes available ready-made. None of the existing engines on the Kanto Railway or Little Tokyo Railway will make the jump, as I wish to have the main characters to have moveable faces (and I don't have the skills to put them on models myself). However, stand-ins from the abundance of fan characters will take on their roles. So while Aiko, Walt, and Tamiko will not make the jump, and Courtney, Li, and Luke won't either, you will see characters such as Wildnorwestern's Alice and Eric, along with NorthWestRailway's E2 Tank Engines, fill the voids, among others. Even Alfred will make a major role!_

_But what about the final words of the story? Are Rin, Primula, Sia, and the others really coming to Sodor soon? You'll have to find out next time, so leave a review, and I'll see you next time!_

_Ketchum Kid_


End file.
